


The Things She Does For Love

by UglyTurnip



Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Comedy, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Goofy Sayori, Hacker Monika, Natsuki is not Abused, Post-Game, Randomness, Sayori is Not Depressed, Temporarily Unrequited Love, There is Happiness in the Literature Club, Unrequited Love, Yuri is not Insane, ongoing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-07-04 15:04:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 46
Words: 57,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15843753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UglyTurnip/pseuds/UglyTurnip
Summary: A series of random, yet connected short chapters and arcs revolving around Monika's hare-brained schemes to win MC's heart. Mostly fluff, but not always.





	1. Mustaches

"Man, I hate Mondays."

With half-lidded, tired eyes, MC made his way down the stairs. Only on a Monday could someone get a full night's sleep, shower, and then still feel tired. As he snatched a bowl and box of cereal from the cupboard, he yawned. He wasn't really hungry at the moment, but breakfast was the most important meal of the day. He had just grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge when he heard a familiar noise at his front door.

_Ding-dong!_

"Oh boy," MC sighed, placing the carton of milk back in the fridge. "Must be that time of the morning again."

It was a safe bet to guess who exactly rang. After all, she had done so every day for the past two weeks. Frankly, MC didn't understand why she didn't just give already; the countless rejections had to give some sort of hint. Part of him wanted to just ignore her, to pretend he wasn't home. However, just the thought provided him with a pang of guilt. She loved him, she really did, and he knew that. No matter how hard he tried to force himself to, though, he could not find those same feelings in his heart.

Still, she was a friend, a very important one. For this reason, as well as for all the existential suffering she endured alone, he felt an obligation to be with her during these troubling times. So, with a newfound sense of duty, he walked over to the front door and prepared to greet his friend.

"Morning Monika!" MC greeted in the friendliest tone he could muster. "How are you. . . Doing. . . Today?"

"Good morning, MC!" The visitor replied. "I'm doing very well, thanks for asking."

Of course, it was Monika; her lovestruck emerald eyes were enough to prove that alone. However, in place of a sweet smile, she wore a rather large, bushy, and well-groomed handlebar mustache. Upon noticing MC's fixation with her facial hair, she quickly twirled one of the edges in a flirtatious manner. "How are you?"

MC found himself enthralled by this sudden change, though not exactly in a positive way. It took him a second to understand what had just been asked. "Fine, thanks for, uh, asking."

Monika giggled, leaning in a little too close for comfort. "I see you've noticed my new mustache. Do you like it?"

"Not really," MC answered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I like my women a little less. . . hairy."

Monika's happy demeanor seemed to falter for a second, but she made an effort to recover as quickly as possible. "Come on, MC. I overheard what you said to Sayori yesterday."

"That I like mustaches?" MC recalled. "Well yeah, but I meant for myself," to punctuate this point, he rubbed his own hairless lip. Damn genetics and the difficulties of growing awesome mustaches. "Can you take that ridiculous thing off, please?"

Monika chuckled nervously. "That's not gonna be so simple."

MC raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"It's not a false mustache," Monika elaborated. "I sorta downloaded a mod last night. Apparently there is someone who _does_ like mustaches on their dokis."

Awkward as the situation was, MC couldn't help but chuckle at such a strange thought. "I guess you need a shave, then?"

"Yes!" Monika exclaimed, unable to maintain the facade anymore. "Please! Mustaches are so itchy!"

"C'mon in," MC laughed, stepping back. Bathroom's upstairs on the left. I should a few spare razors in the cabinet."

"Thank you so much!" Monika cheered, wrapping MC in a hug that was tight and lasted longer than a hug between friends should last. "You're such a good friend," she sighed dreamily.

"Yeah, uh, no problem. I'd do anything for a good friend," he assured.

There was an awkward silence.

"You can let go now."

Monika suddenly yanked herself back, and MC thought he saw a pair of red cheeks hiding behind the mustache. "Yeah, I'll go ahead and shave."

True to her word, Monika climbed up the stairs and disappeared down the hall. About ten minutes later, she returned. Her face was certainly less fuzzy than it had been before, but much of her upper lip was now covered by bandages.

"Ooooh," MC winced. "Looks like you didn't have much fun shaving."

Monika rolled her eyes as she absentmindedly pawed at her upper lip. "Yeah, I think that's the last time I'll grow a 'stache. Having a clean face is so much better."

"That's what they all say," MC chuckled, though deep down he still dreamed he could have half the mustache Monika had.

"Do you know what the best part of not having a mustache is?" Monika asked as she sat down on the couch.

"What?"

Monika leaned in closer, her lips now inches away from MC. He could feel her hot breath as he stared deep into a pool of emeralds. She was beautiful, and yet, he still felt nothing for her.

"There's nothing in the way when we share our first kiss," Monika purred. Then, she puckered up and leaned in.

"Woah-hoh!" MC exclaimed, suddenly rising up from the couch. "Look at the time, Monika. We're gonna be late for school!"

Monika gave him a quizzical look, then glanced at the clock mounted on the wall. 7:38.

"Oh, crap! You're right!" She exclaimed, rising up and dashing toward the front door. "My calculus teacher is gonna kill me."

"I know that feel. See you at the club, Monika."

"See you then!" Monika called out. She got halfway out the front door when she paused. "Oh, and MC?"

_Crap. So close._ "What?"

"I know you still don't feel the same way about me," Monika informed. As tragic as such a fact might've seemed to her, she nevertheless maintained that sweet smile she had come to be known for. "Don't worry, because one day I'll find out what you like in a woman. Then, you'll be all mine!"

MC was silent for a moment. She certainly was forthcoming about her intentions. Whether that was admirable or frightening, he couldn't say. "We'll see about that, Monika."

"Bye," she said, then blew a kiss and shut the door.

MC climbed up the stairs to fetch his own backpack. On the way down, he blew a sigh of relief. If nothing else, he now found himself awake enough to take on the day.


	2. Dinosaurs

_Thunk_

Something bumped in the night. It was enough to stir MC from his peaceful slumber. His eyes opened halfway, but he saw nothing, and heard no other subsequent noises, so he simply groaned and tried to go back to sleep.

_THUNK_

MC's eyes shot open. OK, that time he definitely heard something. Whatever it was, it was certainly big. Still, did it really concern him enough to get about of bed? After all, sleep was quite the precious resource to a teenager. Ultimately, MC decided that it did not, and tried once more to embrace dreamland.

_**THUNK** _

The tremor caused by that. . . thing, was equivalent to a small earthquake. MC yelped rather girlishly as he fell out of bed, his sheets halfway swallowing him. It looked like sleep lost the battle.

Once he had recovered from his rather embarrassing fall, MC hurried over to his bedroom window and pulled back the curtains. It was just before sunrise, and upon careful inspection, all seemed well within the neighborhood.

I mean, if you would consider a 15-foot-tall T-Rex to be well, that is. I certainly wouldn't, but if that's your thing, be my guest.

It certainly wasn't MC's thing, either. He made eye contact with the prehistoric beast, and it seemed to flash a grin equal parts devilish and predatory.

Before the great big lizard had a chance to charge at his prey's house, the door bell rang. Three guesses as to who it was, and the first two don't count.

"Monika!" MC exclaimed as he dashed out his room in only his boxers. He made it down the stairs in record time and opened the front door with almost enough force to yank the knob right off.

"Good morning, MC-" Monika started, then noticed that her crush was a little light on clothing. She couldn't help but blush. "O-oh, my. I came at a bad time, didn't I?"

MC wasn't having any of that, though. His concerns were much more urgent. "Monika, what the hell!?"

Miraculously, Monika stopped drooling long enough to respond. "What? Bad time?"

MC opened his mouth to respond, but then nodded. "Well, yeah, it's a little early. However, I'm more concerned **ABOUT THE GIANT LIZARD OUTSIDE MY HOUSE!** "

As if summoned by MC's shouting, the T-Rex in question stomped over. The ground trembled with every slight movement, and all of MC's attention was wrapped around this thing's ravenous gaze. Had it not been so, perhaps MC would have noticed the three velociraptors as they passed his house and continued down the street.

Monika turned to the dinosaur. She seemed neither frightened nor defensive at its presence.

Oh, you mean this rascal?" She gestured playfully. "Don't worry about him, he's just a big ol' softie."

As if to prove such a point, the t-rex bent down and rubbed its enormous head affectionally against Monika's upper body. She had to stifle a giggle. "S-stop, Rexie! It tickles."

"I'm sensing that this is another attempt to win me over, right?"

Monika didn't respond, as her gaze had once again fixated to his underwear.

"Eyes up here, Monika," MC stated, snapping his fingers to break her out of the trance.

"Oh, yeah! Sorry! It's just that you're so handsome."

"So, why the dinosaurs?"

Monika shrugged. "I thought all boys liked dinosaurs, didn't they? I get the t-rex, you realize your suppressed feelings for me, bada-bing, bada-boom."

MC buried his face in his hands. "Yeah, boys like dinosaurs. When they're five."

"Oooooohhhhhhh. "

MC turned to face the Cretaceous carnivore. "Sorry buddy, looks like you were just a pawn in all of this."

The t-rex whined, then gave Monika a disappointed frown. It was funny how sad such a vicious predator could look.

"You might want to get rid of him before the police find out about this," MC suggested. "Nothing personal, Rex," he added to the mournful.

Monika gave a defeated sigh as a grayish translucent window popped up in between her and MC.

_delete "t-rex. chr "_

_T-Rex deleted successfully!_

And just like that, the beast was gone faster than you could say _do dinosaurs have existential crises?_ Who mods dinosaurs into visual novel dating sims, anyway?

"You know," Monika began, giving MC a sad smile. "You're a tough one, MC, I'll give you that."

Such a pitiful expression was enough to make MC feel like a total ass. Here was this girl that would (and quite literally could, given the modding tools) hang the moon itself just for him. Still, he felt nothing for her.

**"FUCKING MONIKAMMMMMMMMMMM!"**

The raptor trio from before had returned, and in the mouth of the leader was poor little Natsuki. For the brief second that MC made eye contact with her, there was a look in her eye that was nothing short of murderous.

By now, Monika had snapped out of her sad demeanor. "Huh, I guess I forgot about those guys."

"We need to save her!" MC exclaimed as he started to run out.

Monika grabbed him by the shoulder, now smiling slyly. "Not so fast, naked guy. I'm not about to share this eye candy with the rest of the neighborhood. Go put on some pants. I'll handle this."

"But I-"

"I'll just try again tomorrow, my love," she assured as she pushed him back inside. "Hopefully, with something a little less dangerous," she added under her breath.

"Monika, I-"

**"NATSUKI, I'M COMING!"** She exclaimed. Then, with one last wink to MC, she slammed the door right in his face.

MC sighed, resigning himself to just sit this one out.

"What am I going to do about that girl?"


	3. Bad Pick-Up Lines

"Coffee, coffee, coffee!" MC sang as he poured himself a mug of black gold. "How I love my coffee!"

It was Wednesday, my dudes, and a pretty good one at that. In fact, it was the first day in a long time that MC could remember getting up before his alarm went off. Why exactly was this the case? He didn't know, but he was certainly glad it was.

_Ding-dong!_

"Oh, Monika's here," MC said to nobody in particular. With his mug of joe in hand, he made his way to the door and opened it.

"Hey, MC!" Monika greeted in her usual friendly manner. She seemed to be in just as much of a good mood as he was, not that such wasn't normal for her. For a second or two, MC wondered what brand of coffee one needed to drink to always feel the way Monika did.

Before returning the greeting, MC scanned the environment around his house to see if there was anything unusual nearby. There were no dinosaurs today, so that was a start.

"Hey Monika," MC greeted, then took a sip from the mug. It was black, and though bitter, he instantaneously felt twice as manly as he had mere moments before. "You don't have anything dangerous to try today, do you?"

Monika grinned confidently. "Of course not! I saw the error of my ways yesterday, so today is going to be totally safe."

MC shrugged. He guessed it couldn't hurt. Who knows, maybe this time she actually would unearth previously unknown feelings. "So what is it, exactly?"

"I thought about what you said yesterday, about how dinosaurs are for little boys and all that," Monika explained. "So I decided to do something I've seen guys your age do all the time."

MC scratched his chin in thought, but ultimately his mind came up empty on this one. "What do you have in mind?"

"Pick-up lines!" Monika declared proudly. "Guys do 'em to girls all the time, so I thought I'd try some out on you."

_Pick-up lines? Really?_ MC thought, but he knew well enough to keep such a thought to himself. "Pick-up lines? That actually sounds remotely romantic," he said with a pleased tone. "You better have some good ones, though, because I've heard all the classics before," he added with a smirk.

Monika pulled a stack of three note cards out from behind her back. "Yep! I made them all myself. I take it that you're interested in hearing them?"

MC smiled. Maybe a few cheesy jokes would be exactly what he needed to begin his day. "Yeah, let's hear 'em."

Monika cleared her throat as she silently scanned the first note card. Then, she gazed into MC's eyes with the most seductive look she could possibly muster. "Hey baby, are you trash? Because I want to take you out."

MC's smile faltered. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I guess that one wasn't very good," Monika noted aloud as she tossed the card aside, yet she was not deterred. After all, she had plenty of good lines that were sure to win MC's heart, right?

With that thought in mind, she drew her next card from the pile. She smiled to herself; this was a good one.

"Can you help me with this equation, MC?" Monika questioned as she handed him the card.

_QT + 3.14 = U_

"Hmm, I think you should start by subtracting the pi to the other side, and then-"

"No, that's the joke. You're a cutie-pie!" Monika proclaimed affectionately. "Maybe you can be _my_ cutie-pie?" She playfully suggested.

"Wow, that's about six different flavors of cheesy right there," MC snarked. _It was kinda cute, though._

"Darn, that was one of my best, too. You're going to make me bring out the big guns."

"What do you have in mind?"

Monika glanced at her last card with a look of pure determination. Her entire love life rested on this single three-by-five. Or not, because she could always try tomorrow. Still, she was determined not to fail.

"Hey baby, I put the STD in stud, all I need is U."

MC winced. "That one's just gross, Monika."

Monika rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Are you serious? I thought boys loved gross things."

"Where are you getting these pretenses about boys?"

"Internet, specifically Deviantart."

"That explains a lot, then. You should probably stay off that site."

Monika sighed dejectedly. "I guess pick-up lines didn't do the trick, huh?"

_Oh God, the GUILT._ "Don't say that, Monika. I thought the cutie-pie one was a little sweet."

"It wasn't enough to get you to love me, though, was it?" Monika inquired, knowing that it was the real truth."

MC surrendered. "Not really. Good try, though."

Monika turned one of the cards over and plucked a pen out from behind her ear. She quickly scribbled down **_Not into pick-up lines_** , then she glanced back at MC. For a moment, she was breathless, as the mere sight of him made her heart flutter. Everything about him was so wonderful, so amazing, so perfect. Why did she have to feel this way about him? Why didn't he feel the same way about her?

Unexpectedly, MC disappeared into his house and returned a moment later with his backpack. "Say, I'm in a pretty good mood today. Why don't we walk to school together?"

Monika's cheeks burned with the passion and intensity of a Class-O star. Poor MC didn't realize it, but _he_ was the coffee that made Monika's days brighter, and that meant that today really _was_ gonna be a good day. "Y-yes, of course. I'd always walk with you, you know."

"Great," MC said with a grin cuter than a thousand fluffy bunnies. "But no hand-holding."

Monika returned the smile. "Fair enough."


	4. Meatloaf

The gross substance landed on MC's tray with a sickening _plop._ He stared down at his disgusting lunch as it jiggled around helplessly. His heart fell, and with it, his appetite.

"Meatloaf," he informed the girl to his right. "I hate meatloaf day."

"I think you're overreacting," Monika replied as she stepped up for her helping. "Sure, meatloaf day isn't the best, but it isn't that bad."

_Plop!_

"Care to eat your own words, Monika?"

Monika had gone completely silent. In front of her was a reddish-brown mound of mush slathered in a thick layer of ketchup. Hunks of onions, green beans, and even corn poked out from all sides as a slimy unidentifiable liquid formed a puddle underneath. The most overwhelming aspect, however, was the smell. It was so foul, so incredibly revolting, that there was not a word in the English language befitting it.

Monika gulped. "I stand corrected."

Trays of slop in hand, the two of them walked away from the lunchline and toward the far upper-right corner of the cafeteria. There, conversing happily among themselves, were the other three members of the literature club.

"Hey girls," MC greeted as he sat in between Sayori and Yuri. "How are things?"

Yuri, who had her nose half-buried in a new book, caught a mere whiff of MC's food. "Wonderful, at least until you showed up."

MC raised an eyebrow. "Wow, Yuri, I would expect something like that from Natsuki, but you?"

Yuri's eyes widened as she realized what she had just said. "N-not that there's anything wrong with you," she nervously stuttered. "Merely your. . . food? I'm not quite certain that's what it's meant to be."

MC chuckled. "Apology accepted."

Natsuki scooped a hunk of her loaf into her mouth. Surprisingly, she did not retch or even flinch at the rotten meal. Subsisting on a diet of school food and sweets had granted her an iron gut, and there was no such thing as a bad lunch to her. "I don't see what the problem is," she stated, still chewing. "This stuff is delicious!"

"Please chew with your mouth closed, Natsuki," Yuri politely yet firmly commanded.

"Oh, go back to reading your book," Natsuki retorted, and Yuri did just that.

"See?" Sayori began as she pulled a small pink lunch box out from under the table. "I don't understand why none of you pack your own lunch. Every day, I make sure to bring a sandwich and some cookies," she giggled, obviously very proud of herself. She then clicked open the box to find that there was not a single scrap of food inside. Her smile and optimism? Gone.

"My lunch!?" Sayori exclaimed to the heavens. "Oh no, I forgot my lunch!"

Monika saw the look of pity MC was giving Sayori. A brief twitch of jealously flashed through her mind, but she managed to suppress it.

"You can try to eat my meatloaf," MC offered as he slid his tray toward Sayori. "I'm not really hungry anymore."

Sayori smiled, clearly thankful for the gesture, but she placed a hand on MC's wrist to stop him. "That won't be necessary; I think I'd rather just go hungry."

MC shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Monika perked up. Now was her chance to show that she would do anything for love. "I wouldn't mind eating your meatloaf," she lied. "I'm pretty hungry."

MC stared blankly at Monika, at her full tray, at Monika, at her full tray again, and then finally gave her a half-smile that did little to mask his doubt. "Somehow, I don't buy that."

"I thought you were a vegetarian, anyway," Sayori reminded.

"Hey, I can eat meat when I want, and I _am_ hungry!" Monika lied for the third time in a row, then hastily shoved a forkful into her mouth. In a mere nanosecond, her eyes widened as she realized her folly. Every individual taste bud felt like it had just been socked in the face by a barrage of incompatible flavors. The crunch of the onions and corn crashed against the mush of the mystery meat in such a way that both suffered, not to mention the fact that everything was drowning in the ketchup. Worst of all, however, was the fact that it was **_cold_**. Cold meatloaf! How could a starving peasant stomach this garbage, let alone a student!?

Monika finally swallowed, and her eyes weren't the only things green anymore. "I. . . Oh gee. . . I gotta go," she murmured weakly, then rushed off in the direction of the girls' bathroom. All the way, she clutched her stomach with one hand and her mouth with the other.

"What a trooper," Sayori observed, and gave a mock salute to emphasize. "I comment her for her sacrifice."

" _Commend,_ " Yuri corrected.

"Whoopsie!"

Natsuki, having finished her own serving, noticed the two remaining full trays. She licked her lips hungrily. "Hey MC, are you gonna eat that?"

MC wordlessly passed his tray over to Natsuki. _Her voracious appetite is nothing short of disturbing_ , he thought.

"Awesome!" Natsuki exclaimed eagerly, already preparing to stab at it with her fork. "I think I'll save Monika's for dinner tonight, too. Speaking of which, can I borrow your lunchbox, Sayori?"

The normally upbeat attitude Sayori fostered vanished, replaced by an uncharacteristically stern frown. "You are not putting that slop anywhere near my lunchbox."

"Party-pooper," Natsuki whined, but cheered herself up by digging in.

Sayori tapped her fingers together anxiously. "Are any of you free this weekend?" She asked to her three friends.

MC tore his attention away from Natsuki's devouring. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

Yuri nodded.

"Mhmm," Natsuki hummed through her chewing.

Sayori beamed. "Great! I've just had this fun idea that we can all do together."

Yuri looked up from her book with a small smile. "Go on."

"We should all go camping!" Sayori suggested, unable to contain her enthusiasm. "Think about it: it's getting warmer, we can all spend time together, and it might be good for our creative writing."

"I don't have a tent," Natsuki informed through a mouthful of loaf. Yuri shot another glare at her, but she ignored it.

"I might have a spare," Yuri assured. "I like to spend time in the woods; it's rather rejuvenating."

"So, you're going?" Sayori asked.

"Yes," Yuri nodded. "What about you, MC? Your creative well seems to have dried up lately."

MC leaned back in his chair. She did have a point: the time that he used to spend thinking about his poetry was now occupied by Monika's guessing games. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Natsuki finished off the last of her meatloaf, then polished the plate with your tongue. "Count me out on this one. There's a bunch of bugs out in the forests," she informed, then shivered at the thought. "I don't want to be stung by an Asian Giant Hornet or something."

"Aww," Sayori moaned sadly, shooting Natsuki a puppy-dog look. "Pretty please."

Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Oh, alright, but we're going to need a ton of bug spray."

"Yay!" Sayori cheered. "Then it's settled: we're going camping tomorrow night!"

"What about Monika?" Yuri inquired. "She hasn't exactly had the chance to voice her opinion."

"She'll go," MC assured. "I'm pretty sure of it."

"You're awfully certain about that," Yuri replied.

"I am," MC said as the bell rang, bringing lunch to a close. "She'll come around to it once she gets all the meatloaf out of her system."

"Nice," Sayori said as the club members grabbed their respective backpacks and prepared to leave. "See you all at the club this afternoon."

And with that, the four parted ways and left the cafeteria. All except for MC of course, who made his way to the girls' bathroom just in time for Monika to exit. There was a dazed and fatigued look in her eyes, as well as multiple bile-colored stains on her blazer.

MC wrapped his arm around her in an intentionally platonic manner. "Hey, are you alright?"

Monika was a little out of breath, presumably from a prolonged period of chunk-spewing. "Not really.

"Want me to walk you to the nurse's office?" MC offered.

Monika gave him a thankful, if weary, smile. "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course."

"Thank you so much," she replied as the two of them started off. "I'll really owe you one."

"I hope so, because we're going camping tomorrow night."

"OK," she replied, leaning on his chest. "Wait, what?"


	5. Camping

"Annnnddddd, done!" Monika declared as the fire roared to life. She took a seat on the log she shared with MC. "Camp Doki is now officially established."

"Yeah, and it only took about two hours longer than anticipated," MC snarked. It was hard to tell time out in the wilderness, but dusk fell at least an hour ago. Now, the sky above was completely black. The moon hid behind clouds not quite thick enough to completely mask its glow. All things considered, this evening was not gonna be a particularly great one for creative inspiration.

Monika sulked a bit at her failure. She had prepared so much for this trip, even going so far as to buy a black t-shirt and a pair of camo shorts, yet she could hardly light a campfire. "Well, at least I got it going," she muttered under her breath.

Natsuki sat up. Out of all the five of them, she was the only one still dressed in school uniform, as she had neither a suitable outfit nor the money to buy one. "Who cares how long it took?" she questioned as she pulled a sack of jumbo-sized marshmallows out of her backpack. It was one of two things that she had personally brought, the other being an extra-large can of hornet spray. "I've never got the chance to roast marshmallows before."

"Oooooh!" Sayori exclaimed as she scooted closer to Natsuki and snatched a marshmallow. Out of all the things Sayori could've chosen to wear for the trip, she had decided to go with her trademark pink t-shirt and jean shorts. "You're always one step ahead of me on the sweets, Natsuki!"

As the two of them grabbed some nearby sticks and started roasting, Yuri sat on the log opposite of them. She was dressed in khaki shorts and a polo shirt as violet as her hair. Instead of a notepad and pen, she carried a rather large pocketknife and a block of half-whittled wood. What she was making, one could only guess, but she seemed to be enjoying herself pretty well. Maybe too well, judging by her excited grin.

Natsuki pulled her marshmallow out of the fire. To say that it was burnt would be a vast understatement; it was charred blacker than the night around them. She shrugged and popped it in her mouth anyway. "Mmmmm, these are pretty good."

As Sayori roasted her marshmallow, she took a minute to examine the fire more properly. While it was certainly burning bright, it was also a little light on wood. It likely wouldn't last long enough for the club to partake in sharing spooky ghost stories, and how could they tell spooky ghost stories without the atmosphere of a crackling fire?

"Hey MC, could you go get us some more wood?" Sayori requested a bit sheepishly. "We don't have enough to keep things burning."

MC rose to his feet and stretched. "Not enough wood, eh? I wonder who could be at fault for that," he questioned, a glint of mock-suspicion in his eye. "Could it be the girl that was tasked with collecting it?"

Sayori pouted. "Just go get some more, meanie," she teased.

MC chuckled. "Sure thing. I'll be back in a minute."

Monika sprang to her feet eagerly. "I should come, too."

"Why?" MC inquired as he gestured to the trees that bordered the camp's clearing. "I'm only going a little way's in."

Monika's eyes darted around as she searched for a valid excuse. "I, uh, could carry the flashlight so you don't get lost in the dark!" she smiled awkwardly.

MC raised an eyebrow. It didn't take a genius to know the real reason, but he wasn't about to make the situation any more awkward than it needed to be. "Alright, fair point."

Natsuki gazed at the pair rather suspiciously as they left the radius of the campfire's light. Then, she turned to Sayori.

"Monika sure has been hanging around him a lot lately," she said. "You don't think. . ."

"Hmm?" Sayori hummed as she chewed on a marshmallow. "Oh yeah, I don't think that much."

Natsuki facepalmed. "Never mind."

"Ah," Monika sighed sweetly. "It's a beautiful night for a stroll, isn't it, MC?"

"I guess so," MC admitted.

Monika brushed herself up against him. Her hand hovered awkwardly above his, as if waiting for an engraved invitation to grab it. "You know," she purred. "I wouldn't mind coming here every Friday night. Just you and me. Doesn't that sound like a wonderful dating idea?"

"An excellent one," MC praised. "There's just one problem, though: We're not dating."

"Hmph," Monika huffed. "Let a girl dream, will ya?"

"Just keep that flashlight facing forward, will ya?" MC commanded in a way that was much less lighthearted than he meant for it to be. He scooped up a couple of medium-sized logs and held them around his waist with one arm.

As if to spite MC, Monika's flashlight suddenly burned out, trapping the both of them in utter darkness.

"Oh, crap!" Monika groaned. "I must've wasted the battery life trying to light the fire."

"It's fine," MC assured as he glanced about in all directions. They must've covered more ground than he thought, because he couldn't see even the faint glimmer of Camp Doki anymore. His heart jumped slightly.

"Uh, Monika?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember what direction we came from?"

Monika did a 180. Nothing but darkness. She gulped. "Not really."

"I think we might have a problem."

"I think we might have an opportunity to get to know each other better."

"Not now, Monika. This is serious."

MC felt around until he grabbed something soft. "Here, hold my hand. We shouldn't get anymore lost than we are now."

Monika was silent for a moment. "Uh, MC?"

"What?"

"That's. . . That is not my hand you're holding."

MC squeezed. Wait a minute, hands aren't round. The speed at which he yanked his arm back rivaled that of a lightning strike. "Woah! I am so sorry!"

"All is forgiven. Dinner and a movie first next time though, 'kay?"

"Uh, let's just try to find camp for now, alright?" he said as he grabbed the correct appendage this time.

Monika giggled, then tightly wrapped her fingers around MC's. "It's a deal."


	6. Battery

"Do you have any idea where we are even going?" MC questioned as Monika led the pair down through the dense maze of trees and underbrush. "Because it seems like we just picked a random direction and went with it."

Monika nodded, not that she expected MC to see it. "I designed this entire forest in detail during one of my many afternoons of existential boredom. If anyone knows the right way to go, it's gotta be me."

"You say that, and yet we've been walking around for at least 3 hours," MC droned dryly.

"I said I designed this place; I never said I remembered where to go."

"Wait, you coded everything?" MC inquired, a newfound hope rising within. "That means you must've made a map, right?"

"Ehhhhh, not really. I didn't expect us to actually come here or anything. It's not my fault Sayori randomly decided to bring us out here."

MC sighed. "Well, crap."

"Aw, chin up, my love," Monika whispered softly as she softly rubbed MC's palm with her fingernails. "You should look at the positive aspect here- we're finally holding hands like a real couple!" She suddenly stopped walking and elegantly maneuvered her head onto MC's chest. She could hear his beating heart, and she found herself willing to trade everything for this moment to last forever.

Alas, it didn't. MC gently pushed her off of him. "Focus, Monika. The others are probably worried sick right now."

Monika shook her head in an attempt to reset her mind's priorities. "Right. Maybe I have something in the mod menu that would fix this."

The translucent gray menu materialized in front of her, bathing the area around them in a very dim light. It was just enough for MC to make out Monika's inquisitive frown as she slid her finger across the the board like a touchscreen. In search of a better view, partly to help Monika search and partly to see what exactly she had up her sleeve, MC stepped a bit closer. It became readily apparent that Monika had spent a great deal of time downloading and coding proper locations, scripts, objects, and even a few characters into the game world. She tapped on the objects folder, which brought up an alphabetical list of what must've been hundreds of foreign objects added to game for her to use. It took about a minute of slow-paced scrolling to get from A to B.

A particular file caught MC's eye just as Monika was about to scroll past it. He reflexively grabbed her arm.

Monika jumped. "Eh? Do you see something?"

MC nodded, then pointed at **battery. obj**. "What about some new batteries from the flashlight? Maybe then we can at least see where we're going."

Monika's eyes widened as her expression morphed into panic. "No, MC, don't-"

Too late. MC tapped said file without any hesitation. Almost instantaneously, the ground beneath them shook at a magnitude rivaling a small earthquake. Trees fell to the side as a trio of mortar launchers emerged from the soil itself.

MC's chin dropped. He tried to form a coherent sentence to address what had just happened, but his mind was absolutely bamboozled.

Monika turned her head away and guiltily played with her hair. "Yeah, I didn't think I would have a need for the _other_ type of battery," she sheepishly admitted.

"And you would have one for _this_!?" MC exclaimed, gesticulating wildly at the weapons of war. "I know we're lost and all, but I _need_ an explanation as to why you modded a **mortar battery** into the game."

"A girl has needs too, MC!" Monika defended desperately. "There's only so much dating sim mushiness I can take before I have to offset it with explosions!"

MC opened his mouth to admonish her for destructive behavior, but upon registering her argument, he realized that he would probably do the same in her shoes. "Alright. That's fair."

Now it was Monika's turn to be surprised. "Wait, you're not mad?"

"Don't think so," MC replied, realizing that his pent-up lust was beginning to scream for release. No, not for Monika, you disgusting pervert! It was for the boom. "In fact, I may have a newfound respect for you."

Monika laughed. "Hey, maybe we should test it out," she teased. "To relieve all this stress from being lost, you know?"

"That is an absolutely terrible idea and I love it," MC said with a grin wider than the moon.


	7. Explosions

"Here we go," MC muttered as he loaded his first artillery shell. "You're sure this is safe, right?"

"Yeah," Monika confirmed. "Just arc it so that they land at a minimum range. They'll only go 200 meters or so."

MC adjusted the position of his mortar launcher and prepared to fire. "This is gonna be so fun."

* * *

"And then, the ghost of the angry prospecter popped out from behind the trees and slowly stepped toward the couple making out. At first, they thought he was just some old man ruining their time alone, but as they got closer, they got a better look at him. His face was horribly disfigured, like he had been the victim of an explosive accident. The girl gasped: she had heard the legends before, but she hadn't believed them to be true. That's when both of them saw the stick of dynamite in his hand."

Sayori bit her nails as Natsuki paused for dramatic effect. "No! He wouldn't!"

"Ah, but he did," Sayori confirmed. "They screamed, tried to scramble to the feet so they could run, but locking lips had trapped them in place. He tossed the dynamite at their feet, and"- Natsuki raised her flashlight so that it illuminated only her face.- " **Kaboom**!"

"Ahhhhh!" Sayori screamed at the top of her lungs.

Natsuki could no longer contain herself and her laughter. "Ah, Sayori," she managed between huffs. "You're too easy to scare."

Sayori chuckled nervously, then decided to change the subject. "Shouldn't we go looking for MC and Monika now. They've been gone an awfully long time just to get some wood."

"I told you, we shouldn't ruin their alone time together," Natsuki reminded. "Besides, what if MC's too busy _giving_ Monika wood to actually get some himself?" She suggested with a sly smirk.

A block of wood soared toward Natsuki, smacking her right in the chest. "Oof!"

"No!" Yuri scolded in a pet-like manner. "Bad Natsuki! Bad!"

Sayori, poor sweet innocent little Sayori, merely squinted in confusion. "Wait, I don't get it. Wouldn't giving her wood be good? If you ask me, the more they can carry, the better."

Natsuki gently rubbed the spot on her chest where the wood had hit. "J-just forget I said anything, Sayori."

Yuri rose to her feet. "That being said, I believe it would be in our best interest to go looking for them," Yuri suggested, her eyes filled with mild worry. "What if something bad happened to them? Besides, I've run out of things to whittle," she added, gesturing to a pile of wooden objects next to her tent. Notable ones included a model of her pocketknife, a little doll, two more knives, and a skull.

Natsuki and Sayori both eyed the ominous crafts with unease. The thought of going out into a thick forest with someone like Yuri suddenly seemed to be a bad idea.

**BOOM!**

All three girls screamed at the top of their lungs as an explosion rocked the woods about a kilometer and a half away from camp, sending shockwaves all throughout the forest. To make matters worse, the smoldering flames of the fire finally went out at that exact moment, leaving the girls with only Natsuki's flashlight for illumination.

"What the hell was that!?" Natsuki shouted wildly once the tremors died down.

"We're under attack!" Guessed Yuri.

"By the ghost of the angry prospector!" Sayori added, gazing in the direction of the noise with a thousand-yard stare. "I always knew this day would come."

"No way!" Natsuki yelled back. "That can't be him; he's not even real. . . Is he?"

"I don't know, but we can't just leave Monika and MC out there!" Sayori argued, pure panic setting in. "We need to save them!"

"And get ourselves killed by an insane dynamite-wielding spirit from beyond the grave? We need to save ourselves!"

Yuri gently placed her hands on Sayori's shoulders. "Natsuki's right, Sayori. We need to run," Of course, Yuri was still greatly worried about her friends, but was also understandably terrified of getting blown up.

"I'm glad we can agree on something, Yuri!" Natsuki yelled as she snatched her marshmallow bag. Those fluffy treats were simply too indispensable to be left behind. Just as another explosion rocked roughly the same area as before, she grabbed her friends' hands and made a run for it.

* * *

"Whew!" MC screamed to the heavens as another explosion rocked the forest. "I feel so alive!

"That was amazing, MC!" Monika cheered. "I never knew this side of you existed."

"I feel like I should be the one telling you that," MC said with a smile.

"I guess life has its mysteries," she noted with a cute giggle. "Don't you think we were made for each other, though?"

MC nervously chuckled. "I don't think I'd go that far," he told Monika, much to her disappointment. "I do think we've come to a newfound understanding, though. One more for the road?"

Monika swallowed her disappointment and loaded another shell. "Yep! Let's do this one together."

"Agreed," said MC, and he loaded a shell as well. "3, 2, 1, fire!"

The mortars launched with masterful coordination, coming to a crash at about the same location. This decimation was particularly loud and devastating, and the blast was twice as bright and destructively beautiful. In a strange way, the unity of the explosions reminded Monika that lovers could accomplish anything as long as they had each other. MC really was perfect in her eyes, and she tried so hard to be the same to him. Why couldn't he just see it in her?

MC stretched as he emitted a loud yawn. "Man, blowing things up is more tiring than I imagined it to be. What do you say we go looking for camp now?"

"Sounds like a plan, my man," Monika agreed, bringing out the mod menu once again. A few minutes passed by until Monika brought up **torch. obj**. "C'mon, let's go."

It was amazing how far a little light could go. Of course, there was still a little effort expended to find out where exactly they were, but without the darkness trapping the pair in a maze of bad decisions, the two eventually spotted the five tents in the clearing.

"Hey girls," Monika greeted as she entered the campsite, unaware that it had been abandoned as a result of their chaotic actions. "We're ba- hey, where'd they go?"

MC emerged behind her, carrying a few logs of firewood. "They're not here? You don't think they went out looking for us, did they?"

Monika sighed, though it transformed into a full-blown yawn halfway through. She was tired. MC was tired. It had been a long night. "I don't know, and I'm not about to go out there and repeat a cycle of searching."

"Couldn't agree more," MC replied as set the logs on top of the fire pit. "I think it's time we hit the hay."

Monika nodded, her eyes half-lidded. "Yeah. I gotta say, I wasn't very excited about this whole camping trip to begin with, but it turned out a _little_ better than I thought it would."

MC chuckled. "You just bring excitement wherever you go, Monika. Good night."

"W-wait," Monika stuttered as she awkwardly grabbed the back of MC's shirt. "It might be a little cold tonight. Maybe we could share a tent to conserve body heat?"

MC frowned. "Don't push it."

"O-oh, OK. Good night, MC."

And with that, the two of them entered into their tents and quickly embraced dreamland.

* * *

The following morning, MC was awoken to the sensation of gentle shaking. He cracked open one eye just enough to make out Sayori's worried face.

"MC," said Sayori, tension thick within her voice. "MC, please wake up."

MC's eyes shot open. He sat up, a look of pure confusion on his face. "Eh, what? What's going on, Sayori?"

"OH, MC!" Sayori exclaimed thankfully as she wrapped her childhood friend in a tight hug. "You're OK! The ghost of the prospecter didn't kill you!"

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sayori chuckled nervously as she let go of him. There was a slight glint of guilt mixed with relief in her eyes. "It's nothing. Perhaps we got just a teensy-weensy bit scared over an urban legend. You didn't hear any explosions last night, did you?"

"Uhhhhhhhh, I'm gonna say no," MC lied terribly.

Sayori did not seem to notice. "Good," she replied as she began to exit his tent, and MC followed. Monika was already outside and awake. She shot a cranky glare at Sayori, though MC did not know if she mad for being awoken by Sayori or Sayori waking up MC instead of her. Regardless, Sayori did not seem to acknowledge it. Natsuki, however, did, and tried to offer Monika a marshmallow. Monika merely swatted it away.

"So, sounds like you two had quite the night," Natsuki observed. "Care to, uh, _share_ it with us?" She winked.

"No," MC and Monika replied simultaneously. That was the end of the discussion.


	8. Cowgirls

"Hmm, what should I have to eat this morning?" MC mumbled to himself as he searched through the fridge. The relative emptiness of his fridge made it less of a matter of choice and more of a matter of discovery. He really needed to go grocery shopping more often, or at least get Monika to poof food up. With no bacon to fry or lunch meat for a sandwich, MC hesitantly opened the egg carton on the top shelf. Inside, as if they were personally waiting to save the day, were two eggs. He wasn't a big fan of the chicken's bounty, but hunger was a cruel mistress that could only be conquered by these thick yolks.

He had just dumped them in the skillet when the front door swung open without so much as a knock. The intrusion was startling enough to jolt MC out of his train of thought, but also mundane enough to not immediately become the focus of his attention.

"Monika," MC greeted without even turning his head. "We've talked about this. If you're gonna do a guess, you have to knock first."

He remembered the guess that had required that particular rule's implementation. It had involved a wrecking ball, carelessness, thousands of dollars in virtual property damage, and a stick of butter. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered the butter. He would never look at baked potatoes the same way again.

"Ah' don't know a 'Monika' 'round these parts, pardner," Monika replied the most stereotypical rural American accent MC had ever heard. "Folks call me the Dark Desperado. I'm the rootin'ist, tootin'ist shooter 'cross the frontier."

"Why are you talking like that?" MC inquired as he turned to face her. One glance alone was enough to answer the question satisfactorily. Monika's trademark white bow was gone, instead replaced with black cowboy hat. Her long hairstyle had been swapped for a simple ponytail. In place of her typical schoolgirl getup, she wore a black duster coat, denim jeans, and an equally black pair of boots. On her hip was a holster, currently occupied by a revolver, and her boots had a rather large set of spurs.

She took a chair from the dining room table and placed it across the counter from MC, then she took a seat. "A shot of your finest whiskey, if you please."

MC frowned. "Monika, I don't drink. You don't drink, for that matter."

"I ain't no Monika!" The Dark Desperado insisted. "If ya' ain't go no whiskey, what do y'all have to wet a lady's whistle?"

MC rubbed his temples in frustration. "I do not have time for this tomfoolery right now."

"Ah' won't waste y'all's time with any formalities, then. There's a bounty out for a rather ugly feller. Some cowpoke told me he was 'round here. Ah' came to investigate, but he must be wrong. Alls' Ah' see here is a cutie like you, 'pardner."

"Is this roleplay?" MC questioned with a raised eyebrow. "I think this is roleplay. I don't like it."

"Don't mess with me, 'pardner," The Dark Desperado threatened as she pulled a lasso out from inside the duster. "Else 'Ah have half a mind to tie you up to a nice set of railroad tracks."

"Oooh, death threats," MC uttered with mock surprise. "There's no need to go through with such measures, Dark Desperado. I'm already dead, on the inside."

"Well," the Dark Desperado cooed. "Maybe I can rekindle the fire of life within y'all," she suggested with half-lidded eyes and a beautiful smile. Lazily, she tossed her lasso around MC's neck and yanked him to where his lips were inches away from hers.

"Woah! That's a little bit too far, Monika!" MC spoke through gritted teeth as his cheeks turned Texas red. "Please let me go."

"Why should I?" Monika whispered, dropping the accent but supposedly remaining in-character. "You're a wanted man, MC. We duel at sundown, though I suppose a kiss would also be sufficient payment for your bounty," she suggested seductively, then puckered up.

In a desperate move to free himself of her grip, MC did what any logical man would do: headbutt your captor.

"Ow!" Monika interjected, the force of the blow knocking onto the floor and sending her hat flying off her head. "What was that for?"

"There's a little thing I like to call personal space, Monika," MC replied tiredly. He tossed the now-loose lasso off his body and went back to scrambling his eggs. "You violated mine. Hard."

"You made me break character!" Monika halfheartedly protested. "I marathoned seven different Western movies last night, MC. Seven! All just to make sure that I got my accent right. Do you know how many tumbleweeds I saw rolling down dirt trails? There must've been dozens."

As Monika continued her tremendous tirade, MC scraped his eggs off the skillet and onto a plate. "Yeah, and cowboys are cool and all, but you were also slipping into dominatrix territory," he explained as neutrally as possible. The humorous smile on his face betrayed him, however, and Monika understood that he found the whole thing a tad funny in retrospect.

MC's curiosity go the better of him. "So, what made you decide on cowgirls for today?" He questioned as he snatched his plate and moved over to the dining room table. "Was it because it was another boyish thing that might win me over?"

Monika sighed, then brought up the mod menu. A few taps was all it took to revert her outfit and hair back to schoolgirl standards. "Kinda. I thought it would be a good place to start," she admitted as she took a seat next to him. "You like explosions; cowboys like dynamite. Therefore, you might find cowgirls attractive, right?"

"That's a rather loose connection, don't you think?"

Monika's confidence further faltered. "Well, I-I. . . It seemed like a good idea all in my head," she explained with an embarrassed frown.

MC nodded in acknowledgement. Seems to be a running theme, he thought to himself, fearing that stating such might be a little too harsh for Monika.

Monika awkwardly drummed her fingers against the table. "So, no dice?"

"No dice."

"Fiddlesticks," Monika swore. "I blame it on the Monday. You're always a little grumpy on Mondays."

"Hey!" MC interjected. "I am not grumpy on Mondays!"

"Yes you are," Monika teased, then rose to her feet. "Well, I'm off to school. See you at the lunch line, MC," she giggled as she gently patted his back.

"See you then," MC yawned, then a realization struck him. "Don't forget your lasso."

Monika stopped, then turned to face the object with a raised eyebrow. "Did that not go away with my outfit? Eh, you can keep it."

"What am I supposed to do with a lasso?" MC questioned.

"I dunno," Monika shrugged as she headed toward the front door. "Keep it away from Sayori, though. I don't trust her with any kind of rope."

MC nodded. "Oh, and I also need groceries."

Monika poked her head back in the house. "Then go buy some, I guess?" And then she was off for good.


	9. Kittens

"This is it," MC told himself as he grabbed his backpack. His stomach was full, his body was clean, and his teeth were solidly plaque-free. However, there was one daily ritual that had not yet been fulfilled, and that was Monika's arrival. But surely, she would come. For three weeks, she had done so every day without fail. Why would today be any different?

But seconds of excited anticipation gave way to minutes of annoyed boredom, and still Monika was not there. What was taking so long, anyway? Surely, she had not forgotten that today was a school day, had she? Still, he waited. He waited until long after he should've started off for school, and then he waited some more. Still, she did not come.

Finally, there came a moment where MC did not wait any longer. He made his way to the front door, hoping that Monika was somehow waiting on the other side, and opened it. Nobody was there.

And yet still, MC held out hope that Monika was nearby. Why exactly he cared so much, he could not articulate, but a day without a Monika guessed seemed like a day incredibly lonely. Maybe she had tried something around the house? He crept around the side of his house, hoping to catch her in the act of something suspicious, and waited to see if he heard anything around the corner. The gentle rustling of a hedge caught his attention.

"Aha!" He exclaimed as he hopped around the corner. "Caught you on the act, Mon-"

There was nobody there.

"Monika?" Was all MC managed to say. But he was alone, and that final realization soured him a bit. He finally turned away and started on the journey to school.

But MC was not alone. Unbeknownst to him, his tail was being hotly tracked by a small orange tabby. At first, it crept slowly and apprehensively, only managing to keep pace with him. As the minutes passed, however, speed and confidence gained. It bumbled and dashed as fast as its little legs could effectively carry it, and soon it was right under MC's leg.

The brush of fur upon his pants was enough to snap MC out of his train of thought. He glanced down, locked eyes with the surprised kitten, and his loneliness evaporated instantly. Where Monika was, he did not know, but now he did not quite feel so alone anymore.

"Hello there, little guy," MC greeted softly and gently as he bent down and stroked its fluffy orange fur. "Are you lost?"

"M'ow!" The kitten replied as it affectionately rubbed its face on MC's knee. It then glanced up at him with eyes that would even make the stone-cold heart of Joseph Stalin all warm and fuzzy inside.

"D'aww," MC cooed, switching from petting to scratching its chin. "You're the cutest thing in the entire world. Who's the cutest thing in the entire world? You are! Yesh you are!"

As if to one up such an accomplishment, I he kitten fell to its side, exposing the thick fur around its stomach. MC's heart reached critical levels of cuteness overload when the kitten emitted an expectant "M'row."

"Aww, does somebody want bewwy wubs?" MC inquired, though he was already hard at work on such a task. The tiny tabby purred in delight, closed its eyes, and stretched its little limbs as far out as they could go. MC was more than happy to provide. He sat down next to it, and went to work providing it as much love as he could possibly give.

It wasn't much. Unfortunately, MC was a man of responsibility, and a man of responsibility was not capable of remaining forever. He had already wasted enough time waiting for Monika as is, and any further delays would surely make him late for first period. Such a truth came upon him all at once, and with a heavy heart, MC retracted his hand not too long into the play session.

Upon noticing this, the kitten opened its eyes. "M'row?" It questioned.

"I'm sorry, buddy, but I gotta go to school," he tragically informed his new companion.

"M'row!" The kitten cried out pleadingly, then rubbed its head desperately against MC's outstretched hands. The hypnotic adorableness of the kitten almost succeeded in convincing MC to skip that day; almost, but not quite.

"Aw, don't be so sad," MC comforted as gently as he could. "It's not your fault. I waited too long on Monika today."

The kitten glanced down rather mournfully, understanding that MC simply had to part ways with it.

Such an expression from a little kitten almost tore MC's heart in two, yet outwardly he chuckled. "You kinda remind me of her, you know? So affectionate and everything. Every day, she tells that she loves me more than anything else in the world, and I believe it," he then frowned, and it seemed to the kitten as though he was reflecting on something. "She does a lot of things for me, and. . . I don't know why she does it. I don't love her the way she loves me, and I don't know if I ever will."

Another period of awkward silence. "She deserves someone better."

The kitten stared into MC's eyes, and all was quiet for a mere moment. Then, it carefully booped him on the nose, as if it were trying its hardest to cheer MC up. It was enough to snap MC out of his guilt.

"Look at me, talking to a kitten as though it could understand," MC said to himself. As one last parting gift, he ruffled the fluffy feline's fur a little bit, then he rose to his feet. "I love you, you little ball of fur. Stay safe out there."

And then he was off. The kitten sat quietly, watching as MC's figure gradually grew more distant on the horizon. It thought about chasing him all the way down to school, of climbing in his backpack so it could be with him, and coming home so it could be _his_ kitten. Yet, it found that it did not have the fortitude. It glanced around, and found itself all alone. Then, a grey menu popped in front of it, and a tap transformed the little orange tabby into a very human Monika. Her bright green eyes were stained with tears, and she found herself unable to contain the sobs building up in her throat. She leaned against the wall, buried her face in her hands, and stopped fighting the urge to cry.

"L-love y-ou too," was all she managed to whimper. But she was alone, and nobody was coming to comfort her.


	10. Raindrops

MC awoke to the gentle tapping of rain on his windowsill. It came with softly, falling with a gentle _pitter-patter_ that only served to soothe. With a stretch and a yawn, MC turned over to his side and tried to go back to sleep.

_Wait a minute_ , he thought. _Something's wrong. It doesn't rain in the game world._

MC shot up and immediately turned his attention to the world outside of his window. Sure enough, a torrential downpour was occurring, and the normally bright blue skies he had grown to accept as permanent were gone, hidden from view. Shrouding them were numerous of the darkest gray imaginable. The result dimness painted a rather gloomy picture for MC, and that worried him.

_Was Monika behind this?_ MC questioned. _Is she OK?_

A pang of guilt shot through MC's spirit. Regardless of whether she was or not, he didn't feel like sleeping anymore. Monika hadn't shown up for school yesterday; that alone was cause for alarm. Monika loved the literature club, and not just because MC was there. Her absence had thrust Sayori into a spontaneous position of leadership, and the club had found out firsthand that Sayori's vice presidential qualifications were roughly on par with Dan Quayle's.

In any sense, MC came to the conclusion that the rain and Monika's withdrawal were no coincidence. With newfound worry building in his chest, MC snatched his phone and went immediately began to text Monika.

_Hey, Monika. Is everything OK? You weren't at school yesterday, and we were worried about you. Please text me as soon as you get this, OK?  
_

He sent the message, leaned back in bed, and waited impatiently for a response. He gave her ten minutes before he would take action, and ten minutes of the most hellish waiting passed without so much as a "Yeah". His heart began to beat rapidly, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

He couldn't take it any longer. He had to check up on her. The last time he had neglected a friend's feelings, she took her own life. The horrific image on Monika suffering the same fate flashed in MC's mind. He wasn't going to let the same mistake happen twice.

MC threw on a tank top, shorts, and a pair of running shoes. None of these made for proper school attire, but MC couldn't care less about school right now. Indeed, breakfast and basic hygiene were secondary concerns at this point. All that mattered was making sure Monika was OK. He dashed down the stairs and checked the broom closet for a poncho, an umbrella, anything to keep the rain off him. It was to no avail; MC would have to trudge through the rain. It was a sacrifice he was more than willing to make.

Monika's house was far, practically on the other side of town, so MC ran. He ran until his legs screamed for him to slow down, and then he ran even faster. The rain was cold, typical for early spring. It stung his arms, it gnawed at his legs, and it constantly bit at his face, yet it only served to push him further.

It was not until MC arrived on Monika's front porch that he skidded to a sudden stop. Exhausted, soaked, and out of breath, he used the last bit of his energy to knock rapidly on Monika's door.

"Monika!" He wheezed. "Monika, answer this door! Monika!"

The knob turned, and out stepped Monika. She was dressed not in a schoolgirl uniform, but rather in a set of button-up crimson red pajamas, and her hair was a tangled mess. She yawned deeply, then opened her eyes. They were windows to the morning fatigue one might expect from a teenage girl on a school day, yet there was something deeper within them. They were bloodshot, and her cheeks were puffy and red. _Had she been crying?_

"MC?" She questioned, more surprised then anything. Said shock soon morphed into something like annoyance. "What do you want?"

Such a reaction immediately struck MC as strange. Monika was always happy to see him, why was today different? Nevertheless, the joy he felt from seeing her alive and well triumphed all else.

"Monika, you're OK!" MC exclaimed joyously as he threw her arms around her. "I thought-"

"Don't touch me!" Monika shouted harshly as she wriggled out of the hug. MC stumbled back, and the two locked eyes with each other. Monika's face was wrinkled in a tight scowl, and though her head was bent down a bit, her eyes were trained right on MC's. There was great anger in them, an anger MC had never truly seen before. There was something else in there as well, however. Hurt? Pain? Sadness? A sick combination of the three?

Where MC had felt anxiety, he now felt guilt. Had he done something in the past few days to hurt her? "Monika, what's the matter?"

The wrath in Monika's eyes only seemed to grow stronger. "You want to know what the problem is, MC?" She asked rhetorically, jamming a finger deep in his chest. "You are, you selfish asshole! Every day, I try my darnedest to show you how much I care for you, how far I'm willing to go to make you the happiest man in the world! I try, and I try, and I try, but you never seem to care! I pour my heart out for you, and all you seem to do is spit at it!" At this point, tears were flowing freely from her face, and Monika began to sob her words. "Do you even know how early I have to get up just to make it to your house on time!? Do you even care!? No! All you care about is yourself, you disgusting brat! Y-you, y-y-y-y-"

Monika couldn't even find it in herself to continue. Right in front of MC, she fell to her knees and began to cry loudly and wordlessly. Every loud, choking sob only served to hurt MC more. _He_ was the cause of all this, a thought that he had suspected for a while, but the confirmation still wounded him. He couldn't articulate any words, he couldn't find anything poignant to say, so he merely bent down and wrapped her in the tightest hug he could possibly give.

To his surprise, Monika did not fight it. She gave in to his embrace, and rested her face on his shoulder. Though it was already beyond soaked, MC still felt the distinctly warm tears fall upon it. He sat there, and allowed her to air her feelings, and he tried to search for something he could say to make her feel better.

A minute passed by like this, with the only sounds coming from Monika's crying and the rain outside, before MC finally decided to speak up.

"Monika?" MC said gently, trying to get her attention.

Monika managed to stop sniffling long enough to respond. "Y-yeah?"

MC breathed in deeply, then exhaled the same. He had to tell her the truth, no matter how painful it was. A lie, when uncovered at last, would only make things worse. "Monika, I guess you have a point, I don't love you. Not in the way you love me."

MC felt Monika's nails dig into his back. "I knew it," she uttered in a broken tone, her voice muffled in MC's shoulder. "Why? Why don't you love me?" She asked, pure desperation in her tone.

MC sighed. Why didn't he love her? Why didn't his heart skip a beat every time she came over? Why didn't he dream about her at night? None of it made sense. He wanted to love her, he really did, but his heart wouldn't cooperate. "I don't know."

More tears. "Is there something wrong with me?" She questioned, her tone laced with pain and worry. "Am I not worthy of anyone?"

Now it was MC's turn to squeeze Monika tighter. "Don't tell yourself that," he said in a hushed whisper. "Do you know why I ran all the way here? Through your little rain storm? Monika, I missed you. You're my best friend in this entire world, even when compared to Sayori. You're a very important person to me, Monika, to all of us. The literature club was thrown into chaos without you.

Just then, a most miraculous noise occurred: Monika giggled! Sure, it was marred a bit by her sobs, but it was clearly a giggle. "I bet Sayori tried her best to lead, didn't she?"

MC returned the laughter. "Yeah. She tried, but that's all I can really say about it, though."

Monika breathed in as deep as she could, presumably to buy time to collect her thoughts. "I guess I did make things difficult for you to get here," she half-joked as she stared up at the sky.

"That you did," MC admitted, but then he rested his head on Monika's chest. "It was worth it, though."

Monika clung on to him just a bit longer, as if she feared letting go would shatter everything. Finally, however, she found the courage within her to let go.

MC smiled, and stared deeply into her eyes. Deep down, that sadness was still there. He knew that. However, there was something else within her as well, a glimmer of hope that one day she would find the key to his heart.

"Thank you, MC," Monika almost whispered. She brought up the mod menu in front of her. "I guess I should probably get rid of this rain and start getting ready for school, huh?"

Before she could get to tapping, however, a brilliant idea struck MC. He grabbed her wrists. "Actually, why don't you keep the weather? It's a nice change of pace, and as dreary as it is, you put a lot of hard work into it."

Monika blushed. "You like it?"

MC grinned. "I do. And what do you say we skip school today? Maybe we can watch a few movies or something, just the two of us?"

Monika beamed. "You mean like a date?"

MC nodded. "Sure."


	11. Giraffes

"Alright, window stain," MC growled at the little smudge in the corner of his bedroom window. "For weeks, I have tolerated your presence. For weeks, laziness and procrastination have spared your wretched life. I say no more!" He exclaimed as he raised a spray-bottle full of window cleaner at the offending stain. "Nothing can save you from your imminent destruction!"

_Ding-dong!  
_

MC shrugged. "Except that. Consider yourself lucky, punk," MC declared as he tossed the bottle aside and made for the front door. "I hope Monika's guess today involves scrubbing my windows," he thought out loud as he opened the door.

"Good morning, Mon-" MC started, but to his surprise, there was no Monika there. Instead, he found himself face-to-face, er, face-to-knee with nature's living ladder: the giraffe.

MC pinched his stomach, certain that he must be in some strange fever dream. He hadn't gotten sick by running in the rain yesterday, had he? Apparently not, as he found the beast staring back at with a rather annoyed expression. _Yeah, that's a giraffe, alright. On my front lawn, no less. That seems about par for the course for a Monika guess, I suppose.  
_

"Hey MC!" He heard Monika call from somewhere, but a quick glance around his yard yielded no sign of her.

He turned his gaze skyward to the giraffe, his faced scrunched up in confusion. "Monika? Did you turn yourself into a _giraffe_?"

"No, silly, up here!" Monika called from above. MC stepped a few paces to the left to find Monika's head poking out from behind the giraffe's neck, which now had her arms loosely wrapped around it. Her smile was as wide as ever. "You should come up here with me; this view is absolutely stunning."

"Monika!" MC shouted as he pointed an accusing finger at her. "I have several questions."

"I have one question, MC," Monika countered. "Do you like giraffes? I bet you like giraffes."

"At the zoo? Yeah, I guess. Why is there one in my yard, though?"

"Well, we always walk to school, you know? I figured we could maybe mix things up a little bit," Monika suggested with a mischievous grin.

MC facepalmed. "Monika, I thought we agreed that exotic creatures wouldn't get you anywhere. You do remember what happened last week with the dinosaurs, right?"

Monika's expression turned into one of longing. "Yeah, I remember, all right," she sighed dreamily. "Especially how you were, ahem, _dressed_. You should do that more often, by the way."

MC's faced turned as red as the Soviet flag. "H-hey! Stop fantasizing about me in my underwear!"

"Why don't you come up here and make me?" Monika teased as she idly swung her legs back and forth. "Or are you scared of heights?"

"I am a strong man, I fear nothing!" MC proudly declared as he began to scamper up the giraffe's body like a monkey climbing a tree. It wasn't until after he reached the top that he realized he had fallen right into Monika's trap. "Oh. Boy, do I feel dumb."

Monika giggled, then scooted back and patted at the spot in front of her. "Sit here, MC. I'd hate to spoil the view for you."

MC finished scaling the giraffe and took the requested seat. "That's awfully kind of you, Monika," MC half-joked.

"I already got to enjoy it on way here. What kind of future wife would I be if I didn't share beautiful things with the man I love? Besides-" she wrapped her arms around MC's waist and rested her head on his shoulder. He could feel her hot breath tickle his ear, a sensation that made his heart beat uncomfortably fast. "-what I have right now is so much better than any view could possibly be."

MC cleared his throat. "Personal space, Monika," he informed her gently, yet firmly.

To his surprise, she did not let go. Indeed, the very thought only served to make her giggle. "Nope. My ride, my rules."

_Well, no way out of this one_ , MC thought, and then he turned his attention to the giraffe. "Sorry buddy, she got me good with this one."

The giraffe emitted some kind of snort, though MC did not know if it found the situation frustrating or humorous. Regardless, it turned away from MC's house and began the long walk to school. MC rolled his eyes, figuratively embraced the fact that he was trapped in Monika's literal embrace, and rode forward.


	12. Pie

"Come on," MC mumbled to himself. "Think of something good, something that will blow everyone's socks off today."

MC sat at the dining room table, a pen resting in his right hand. In front of him was a blank sheet of paper, and that meant a world of infinite fates rested within him. Were he to play his cards right, he could produce a work of literary genius that would make even the likes of Shakespeare seem second-rate. Firstly, though, he had to think of something. Too bad thinking was hard.

The ringing of the doorbell echoed throughout the house, jolting MC out of whatever train of thought he might've had going. Not that he minded; maybe talking to a certain visitor would provide him with the necessary inspiration.

"Monika time," MC sang to himself as he arose and headed for the front door. He gently opened the door to find his daily visitor gracefully awaiting. She flashed him a smile as sweet as honey.

"Good morning, MC," Monika greeted, her hands behind her back. "Whatcha' doin'?"

MC shrugged. "Nothing really important. I'm trying to write my daily poem, but I'm coming up a little bit short right now."

"I know that struggle," Monika replied with a nod. "I wasn't able to think of anything today, either. _Somebody_ has been stuck in my head all night," Monika informed with a wink and a grin.

MC flashed his own grin, though his was laced with no small amount of amusement. "Really, now? I figured I would've given you plenty to write about, Monika."

Monika's smile dropped. "You have, for the past three weeks, in fact. Do you even read the poems I give you?"

MC nodded. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

Monika groaned in mild frustration. "I swear, MC: When it comes to literature, you are absolutely the densest person I know," Yet her smiled returned. "I still love you, though."

"I figured such was the case," MC replied. An awkward silence then followed.

Monika eventually cleared her throat. " _Anyway_ , I was thinking of how I might win your heart today, and I remembered something that I think might work. Have you ever heard of that proverb: 'The easiest way to a man's heart is through his stomach'?"

As if on cue, MC's stomach emitted a ravenous gurgle. He gave Monika a sheepish grin. "There's your answer, I believe."

"Then I have just the thing for you," Monika replied, then removed her hands from behind her back. She handed him a tinfoil-coated object, which he took for her. "I baked you a pie!"

MC stared at her, mouth agape in pure happiness. "Oh, boy! I haven't had a pie in ages! Monika, I might actually kiss you for this!"

Now it was Monika's turn to drop her chin in joy. "Really!? Try it, MC, I want that kiss!"

She didn't have to tell him twice- MC was already tearing away at the layers of foil separating him and this wondrous dessert. Maybe this was just the brain food he needed to write Shakespeare out of a job. When he finally ripped the last layer off, however, his hopes and dreams, as well as his appetite, were dashed. The pie was black- blacker than the morality of a baby-eating Nazi. Instead of a fruity fragrance gently tickling his nose, MC's sense of smell came under attack by the stench of charcoal and failure. There was no way in hell he could ever eat this.

"Uh, wow, Monika!" MC exclaimed with artificial excitement and a massively fake smile. "This looks like sh-. . . Deliciously delicious pie! One question, though. What flavor is it?"

"Blueberry," Monika replied, her eyes filled with a tremendous hope that MC did not dare to spoil.

This was not blueberry. It may have _once_ been blueberry pie at one point, but those times were long over now. If anything, it was now blackberry, but such an assumption also seemed far too insulting for actual blackberry pie. "It must've taken a lot of effort to code this in, but I'm glad you did."

Monika's smiled faded. "'Code this in'? No, MC, I baked it."

"Oh," _Note to self: Never eat what Monika cooks._ "Well, I can't wait to eat it after school today," MC lied once more. He subconsciously scratched his nose to make sure it wasn't growing. Thankfully, the worst that had happened was that it had withered slightly from the odor. _This thing is going in the trash as soon as you leave, Monika._

"Why wait until after school?" Monika questioned with an inquiring frown. "It will be cold by then; why don't you eat it now?"

MC gulped. He glanced down at the questionable object referred to as 'pie', then back at Monika's expectant face, then down at the pie again. Was this some sort of formulated revenge for the meatloaf fiasco? No, this was just Monika being Monika. He knew what he had to do, regardless of whether he liked it or not.

With a heavy heart, he reached for a piece that Monika had pre-sliced for him. The brittle crust practically snapped upon the slightest application of pressure, coating MC's hand in a black sludge. What remained of the slice was reluctantly placed in his mouth- better to eat it all at once than take it out bite-by-bite. It was as if he had eaten a bowl of sand straight from the Sahara, and you bet he ate every last inch of that piece in front of Monika. When he finally swallowed it, it scraped the back of his esophagus all the way down. He could only pray that no permanent damage had been done.

Monika gazed at MC with half-lidded, seductive eyes. "So, how about a different kind of dessert?"

MC swallowed. "I'm good, thanks."

Monika frowned. "Wait, it wasn't that good? I-I worked really hard on it and everything."

"Oh no, it was godawful, er, -ly great!" MC declared as happily as he could. "I just don't know if I can handle anything sweeter today, that's all."

Monika giggled. "Aw, MC, you really know how to make a girl feel special. How about I bake you another pie tomorrow, then?"

MC's eyes widened in primal fear. "No!"

Monika raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Uh, I mean. This pie will last me for a few days, won't it? I don't want you to go through all the trouble when I still have plenty of leftovers, that's all."

Monika nodded. "Good point," she answered. "You want to walk to school together?"

MC unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, I have a few things I need to take care of before I head out today. Sorry, Monika."

Monika sighed. "That's understandable. See you at lunch, MC."

"See you then," MC replied, and then he closed the door gently. As soon as Monika was off his front lawn, MC immediately grabbed his phone and dialed a certain number.

"Hey, MC," he heard Natsuki greet on the other end. "What's up?"

"Natsuki, how would you like a free pie, no questions asked?"

There was a short pause. "I'll be over in five minutes," she replied, and then the phone clicked.


	13. Trumpets

It was a Saturday morning like any other. For MC, that meant spending the day in the living room with his computer. This was the one day of the week where he didn't have to do anything at all: No poetry, no schoolwork, no studying. It was just him and the latest episodes of his trashy seasonal anime.

_Doot-doot!  
_

MC eyed the door with mild surprise. Whatever emitted that noise was, it definitely wasn't his doorbell. However, it was loud enough to indicate that it was coming directly from the front the porch. Was he hearing things, now, or was this just another Monika visit? There was only one way to find out, so he paused his laptop, stood up, and headed for the front door.

He had barely opened it when he noticed that there was a large brass hole inches away from his ear. There was no time to truly register what this object was, let alone react to it, before it blasted a deafening ** _DOOT!_** right in his face.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!" MC cried as he clutched his ears in agony. It took him a moment to realize that he didn't even hear himself scream. In fact, once the pain dulled to a tolerable level, the only sound MC could comprehend was the aggressive ringing that now seemed to permeate the air around him.

The object that had blasted such a booming sound lowered, revealing Monika's distressed face. She uttered something, presumably either a greeting or an apology, but MC heard not a sound.

"What!?" MC replied, removing his hands from his ears in a futile attempt to hear anything at all. "Monika! What did you do to me!?" he inquired in a panicked tone. "I can't hear anything!"

Monika began to shout as loud as she could. To MC's surprise, he could actually just barely make out her voice. However, she sounded as though she was merely whispering to herself.

"Monika, can you speak any louder!?" MC requested. Of course, as he was currently deaf, he had no idea that he was shouting every sentence. In reality, everything MC was saying could be heard clearly from a whole block away.

Monika shook her head, and she drummed her hands on the wall in thought. A few seconds later, she snapped her fingers as a solution entered her mind. She pantomimed writing on a piece of paper to MC, then made a folding and passing motion.

"Gotcha!" MC shouted, and he disappeared into his house. He returned with a paper and pen, which he then handed to Monika.

Monika jotted down a response, then placed the paper back into MC's hands. _I'm sorry, MC. I just wanted to find out if you found trumpeters attractive or not. Please forgive me.  
_

Next to Monika's apology was a small frowny face with a single tear rolling down the left cheek. MC glanced back up at Monika to find her shamefully staring at the ground, probably in an attempt to avoid eye contact. Clutched closely to her chest was the trumpet that so effectively sapped MC's hearing. He frowned. Whether or not she was trying to guilt him, it wasn't working.

"I thought you were learning how to play the piano, Monika!" MC reminded loudly.

Monika rose her index finger to her puckered lips and gently shook her head.

"Oh, am I being too loud? I'm sorry, I guess it's hard to control your volume when you can't hear a damn thing!" MC shouted dryly. "You're lucky I'm a sub over dub person, or else I'd be _really_ mad!"

Monika hurriedly snatched the paper out of MC's hands. She scribbled down a response, then flipped the paper around for MC to see it. _Don't be so dramatic; it will probably come back sometime today. I'm pretty certain, at least.  
_

"I sure hope so!" MC responded. "My voice is gonna get really hoarse, otherwise! By the way, please stick with the piano in the future!"

Monika nodded, then wrote once more on the paper. _I'm going home now, MC. I hope your hearing gets better soon._

"Wait!" MC shouted. "Do you want to hang out or something today!? My schedule is wide open!"

Monika hesitated to respond. On one hand, she had just been presented with the opportunity to spend the day wit her love. On the other hand, she valued her hearing as well. Ultimately, she declined with a shake of her head.

"Really!? Why not!?"

Monika plugged her ears and nodded in MC's direction. She managed to flash a rather rueful grin. She had brought this upon herself, after all.

"Oh! Well, that's fair, I guess! There's no point in you going deaf, too! See you tomorrow, Monika!" MC exclaimed as he waved goodbye.

Monika returned the wave, and MC closed the door. She glanced down at the trumpet in her hand, then raised it to her mouth. She gave one last tragic _doot_ , then brought up the mod menu and deleted it out of existence.


	14. Jetpacks

Once upon a time, there a was a girl named Monika. With nearly limitless power at her disposal, she held absolute control over her reality.

Were one to expect a vicious, brutal tyrant, they would be sorely mistaken. At only five feet and three inches tall, Monika's height was far from intimidating. Her eyes were a pool of green, like that of a summer forest. Surely, one could get lost in both for hours on end. As for her demeanor, one could not ask for a sweeter woman. Wherever she went, she wore a kind smile that kindled the spirits of even the most pessimistic of people. There never was a person who hated her, who genuinely had unkind words for Monika. She was loved.

And she loved, herself. But she ruled her reality, and that was unquestionable.

One particular day, Monika exited her house just as the sun poked out from the eastern horizon. For as long as she could remember, her day started with the sun. Not that she minded, however. There was something captivating about the skyline of a clear dawn, of watching oranges, pinks, and blues vie for control against the last of the evening stars. It was an extraordinary sight, and yet it was only the _second_ most beautiful thing Monika saw every day.

Most of the days, she would merely walk down the street like everyone else. On this particular day, however, she felt a tad more adventurous. A gray screen popped up in front of her, the primary testimony of both her imagination and her control, and it only took a few taps for her to find what she was looking for. In an instant, the white backpack she was carrying vanished, replaced instead with a stainless steel one. She pulled the straps up to her shoulders, and a pair of wings extended on her new pack. A set of thrusters roared to life, and she ascended toward unprecedented heights.

A cool morning wind shook off the final throes of sleep from Monika, and a confident smile found its way onto her face. It did not take long for her to soar high into the sky. As she flew, she twirled gracefully in the air, passing by countless strangers that watched her flight with awe. They pointed as she passed, and those that only saw her from far away argued passionately amongst themselves. Was that a bird? Was it a plane? No, just Monika.

Eventually, Monika spotted a particular house far below her. In physical appearance, nothing separated it from the countless number of residential abodes around it. To Monika, however, it was the most important building in the entire city. She dove down, embracing the increasing speed that gravity brought, before she pulled back just in time to touch down softly on the fresh grass of the front lawn. She threw her gaze back at the eastern horizon and grinned. The sun had just now begun its ascent over the edge of the world, a sign that Monika had made great time.

With a spring in her step, Monika made her way to the front door and gently tapped the doorbell.

"Coming, Monika!" She heard him shout, not that he needed to tell her such things. She would've have waited there for infinite eternities if that's what it took to see him.

Thankfully, it did not. MC opened up the door and stepped out. He was significantly taller than her, with jet black hair and beautiful amber eyes that Monika could stare at for hours. To Monika, he was nothing short of perfect, and the small smile he gave her only further served to confirm this.

"Good morning, Monika," MC greeted in an amicable tone. Despite not being nearly the morning person Monika was, MC seemed pretty happy today. Such good news only made Monika's smile grow.

"Good morning, MC," she returned, throwing her arms around him. "I see your hearing is back."

Monika could feel MC squirm a bit, something he was prone to doing whenever they hugged. It might've been due to the fact that she held him a little tighter than a platonic hug should call for. It might've been due to the fact that he knew she loved him, and therefore every hug felt like it could be taken out of context. Maybe his squirming was why Monika had to hold him tightly in the first place, though it was certainly far from the only reason.

Alas, she eventually let go, and MC emitted some sort of awkward chuckle. "Yeah, hearing's all better. What's today's guess, anyway?"

With a happy giggle, Monika twirled around, displaying her jetpack to MC with no small amount of pride. "How would you like to go for a flight, MC?" she questioned with a grin.

MC eyed Monika with mild worry and decided to back away a few paces. "I don't know, Monika. I think I'd prefer to stay on the ground for today."

Monika stepped closer. She put her hands behind her back and leaned forward, her smile unwavering. "Come on, MC. It'll be fun."

But MC merely shook his head. He turned away, a slight hint of pink on his cheeks. "Monika," he sighed fretfully. "I'm. . . I'm scared of heights."

Monika reached out and grabbed MC's hands with hers. Before he could properly react, she yanked him closer to her. "Then hold on tight, love," she explained with a devilish glint in her eye.

"W-wait! Monika, what are you do-"

_FWOOSH_

" **AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!** " MC shrieked as the two of them blasted off into the skies above. Monika shot straight up, as if she was reaching for the stars themselves, and MC clung to her waist all the while. She stopped, however, once they were high above even the tallest of skyscrapers. A golden dawn greeted the pair and Monika helped MC into a bridal carry.

He shivered, realizing just how cold it was up here. "Monika, why?" He questioned anxiously.

She nuzzled her cheek against MC's. She could feel his quickened pulse, and tried to rectify it by placing a comforting hand gently on his heart. "Don't be so afraid, my love. I'm not going to let something so precious fall."

It did little to assuage his fears. "Uh-huh. Can you put me down, now?"

"And miss out on the opportunity to see the two most beautiful things in the world at once?" Monika questioned rhetorically. "Not a chance."

Monika leaned forward, and the jetpack carried them at a moderate pace. Below them lied the sights and sounds of a city bustling about with its morning, but they paid no mind to it. Up there, the only sound they met was that of the wind kissing their faces. All was quiet. All was beautiful. All was intimate. For the longest time, the two of them merely flew, saying nothing, marveling at the beauty before them. Monika, the girl with nearly all the power in the world, could only wish that this moment could last forever.

Alas, it did not. Morning must evolve into the day proper. The final stars faded, then the pinks, and then the oranges. At last, when there was nothing left but the blue sky and the sun, Monika carried them downward. They touched down just shy of MC's front door, and she let go of him.

"Wasn't that wonderful?" Monika asked, immeasurable happiness in her eyes.

MC nodded. Truth be told, he was merely glad to be on the ground once more. "Well, I'll admit it was something, alright. I guess it wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be. I don't know if I want to _fly_ again, though," he admitted. "Maybe we could just watch the sunrise from the park next time, alright?"

Monika shrugged somewhat goofily. "That would be fair enough. So, would you mind if we spent the day together, just the two of us?"

"Are we staying on the ground?" MC inquired.

Monika laughed. "Of course we are, silly!"

MC stepped away from the door and beckoned her inside. "Sounds like a plan, my wo-man."

"Great!" Monika exclaimed joyously, and she followed him inside.

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Monika. With nearly limitless power at her disposal, one would assume she held absolute control over her reality. The truth, however, was slightly less glamorous. Despite her talent with coding, despite her creative mind, despite even her very dedication to acquire it, one thing still eluded her grasp: the love of a very special person.

But she did not mourn. Indeed, just as she gazed toward the morning horizon today, she chose to look toward the future with the same awe. One day, that love would be hers. She was sure of it.


	15. Unexpected Cancellations

Monika impatiently drummed her fingers on a clubroom desk. "Where are they?"

"Tell me about it," MC replied, leaning up against the wall. "The meeting should've started fifteen minutes ago."

Monika stood up with an exasperated sigh. "You know, sometimes I wonder if restoring those three was a bad idea. This is one of those times."

MC eyed Monika suspiciously.

"Kidding," she clarified with a cheeky grin, but it then faded. "They certainly are getting on my nerves right now, though."

MC reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "You're not the only one," he added. "I'm going to call them, though, just in case."

The phone rang three times before Natsuki picked up. "Hello?"

"Afternoon, Natsuki," MC greeted. "How are things?"

"Oh, they're doing really well. Thanks for asking, MC!"

"Are you sure about that?" MC inquired. "You do realize that we have a club meeting scheduled for today, right? Where are you and the others?"

"Yeah, I know," Natsuki affirmed. "We're not coming today?"

MC's jaw momentarily dropped in slight surprise and minor disappointment. "None of yoh are coming? Why not?"

"Well, I decided that, since we just finished our reading discussion last Friday, maybe we could just skip the club meeting today," Natsuki explained. "I told Sayori and Yuri, but I guess I forgot about you two. Sorry about that."

MC's eyebrows raised at that. "Cancel the club meeting? We haven't canceled a club meeting since. . . Ever! Why would today be any different?"

"Oh!" Natsuki interjected nervously. "We're going to, uhhhhhhh- a restaurant! That's right; the literature club is going out to eat together."

"That's quite a detail to overlook," MC noted. "Where are you three going? Maybe there's enough time for us to catch up."

"Oh, I don't think you can make it on time. We're already on the other side of the city at this point."

Little did he know that Natsuki was much closer than she let on. All the way down from the other end of the hall, she, Sayori, and Yuri watched from a safe distance. Their eyes squinted as they attempted to capture every detail they could. Were MC and Monika really a couple, now? It was a question that had worn away at Natsuki's curiosity for almost a week. As for Sayori and Yuri, the juicy details were more than enough to pique both of their curiosities.

Also, since when would somebody like Natsuki have spare money to spend on her friends, anyhow? Luckily for her, such a thought never occurred to MC.

"Natsuki, are you there?" MC asked after a long period of silent watching.

Natsuki jolted out of her daze. "O-oh, yeah! Sorry about that. Sayori was telling me a really funny joke, ahahahahahahaha!" She laughed in a way that was obviously fake. "Right, Sayori?"

Sayori felt a sharp jab in her stomach, courtesy of Natsuki's elbow. "Oh, right," she chuckled uneasily. "Hahahahahahahahaha! We're having a fun time out here in public, and not secretly watch- OOF!"

"Shhhhhhh! Don't blow our cover, dummy," Natsuki whispered.

"Oops," Sayori whispered. "My bad."

"Uh, OK," MC replied with uncertainty in his tone. "You three have fun, then. Bye."

"Bye," Natsuki responded, then she hung up so that the three of them could continue their secret mission in peace.

Back in the club, MC emitted a loud sigh. "That was Natsuki," he informed Monika. "Apparently, the girls have decided to go out to an early dinner together."

"And they didn't invite us?" Monika inquired with a puzzled frown. "We could've at least held our club meeting at the restaurant. It would've even been a nice change of pace, in fact."

MC leaned up against the wall and rubbed his temples in frustration. "That's a good point," he sighed. "Sorry, Monika. I guess our club meeting is canceled for today."

Monika cleared her throat awkwardly, then transformed her disappointed frown into a flirtatious grin. "Maybe it doesn't have to be canceled, you know? We could curl up together, read a book, our bodies sharing each other's warmth."

Natsuki's eyes widened. She frantically reached into her backpack and pulled out a pair of binoculars. _Code 72!_ She thought to herself. _Code 72!_

"Then," Monika continued, her mind obviously dozing off into fantasyland. "You could hold me, and confess your deep-seated feelings for me, and I would cut you off with a peck on the-"

"Monika!" MC exclaimed as he snapped his fingers in her face, mostly to knock her out of her trance. "I don't think there's a point in sharing literature when neither of us even have a completed poem."

Monika shrugged. "It was worth a shot." She leaned closer and ran a finger along MC's chest. "So, I know having our very own private club meeting is off the books, no pun intended, but do you have any big plans for tonight?" She questioned hopefully. "My schedule's wide open if you wanna, say, go on our own restaurant date."

MC thought about it for a second. "Not really. I found this awesome-looking alien invasion video game in my room. I guess I must've bought it before you and I became self-aware. Anyway, I think I'm gonna spend the night playing it."

Monika's dreamy smile faded, and she groaned in romantic frustration. "MC?"

"Yeah?"

"You do realize we're _in_ a video game, right?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"And you do know I have the ability to add whatever I can get my hands on, right?" Monika added, her tone deadpan.

"That's true, but-"

"And you do understand that I would literally do anything if it meant I got to spend more time with you, right?"

"I know that, however-"

"Then why would you want to play another video game inside a video game?" Monika questioned.

"Well, if you let me finish my sentences, then-"

"Then what?"

MC grabbed Monika by the shoulders and shook them as violently as he could. "Monika! Please! Let! Me! Speak!"

Monika grinned nervously, and she found it difficult to maintain eye contact with MC. "Well geez, you don't have to be so loud about it."

"Thank you," MC mumbled. "I understand that we could do a lot of things in this reality, but I'd prefer my excitement to be more. . ."

"Fake?" Monika suggested with a disappointed frown.

"Controlled," MC corrected.

Monika furrowed her eyebrows. "Are you saying that I can't control my own actions?"

"Well, I mean there was that one time where you kinda-sorta deleted the entire literature club," MC reminded.

Monika winced at that. "W-well at least I was able to fix it!" She argued with more passionate anger than the situation truly called for.

The tension in the atmosphere was beginning to become noticeable, so MC inhaled slowly. "Look, I think we're both upset that the others forgot about us. I'm just going to home."

"What!?" Natsuki shouted suddenly. "No!"

Before Monika and MC could turn their attention to the noise, Sayori and Yuri had already yanked Natsuki out of sight. Monika and MC poked their heads out of the classroom to find an empty hallway.

"Please tell me you heard that, too," Monika broke the silence.

"Yep. I'm pretty certain that was Natsuki's voice."

"Oh, good. So I'm not the only one."

MC ducked back into the classroom and snatched up his backpack. "I think I'm going to leave before things get any weirder. You have a good night, Monika."

"Good night, MC," Monika bid with a wave. "Have fun playing your game, I guess."

MC heard the jealous tone in Monika's voice, but decided not to respond to prevent things from escalating. Without another word, he left the room, leaving Monika all alone.

"I can't believe he'd rather play games than have an adventure," Monika muttered to herself. Dejectedly, she grabbed her backpack and prepared for a long walk home. Just as she exited the clubroom, however, a lightbulb went off in her head, and she found herself smiling rather deviously.

"Maybe I should bring the game to him."


	16. Alien Invasions

The bright sunlight trickled into MC's bedroom, signaling the start of a brand new day. He stirred from his restful slumber, felt the the light of the sun through his eyelids, groaned, and buried his head in his pillow. He mentally cursed himself for forgetting to close the curtains last night. His alarm had yet to go off, and Monika had not rung the doorbell, so why get up in the first place.

Yet the light only seemed to get brighter. He rolled over to face away from the window, but to his surprise, the luminescence was just as strong on the windowless side of his room.

Something wasn't right. MC opened his eyes to find himself bathing in a bright green light. His eyes widened as he immediately realized that this was no work of the sun. Indeed, it looked just like the tractor beam of a UFO. He grasped at the mattress below him to find that it was no longer there. The only things he had left were his blanket and pillow. He tried to stare upwards, directly at the source of the light itself. Alas, it was too bright. All the same, he knew that he was being sucked up right into uncertain extraterrestrial doom.

Yet he was not the least bit scared. This was all a dream. It had to be, right? He had played a bit too much last night, he assumed, and this was all just some strange nightmare. One little pinch would make this all go away, so he gave himself a good one on the leg.

Nothing happened.

He was wide awake.

_This is real._

_Oh crap._

_The aliens are going to abduct me._

Or at least he thought. There was the sound of something rushing by to his right, an explosion that nearly deafened him for the second time in a week, and then he was falling. MC emitted the shrillest scream he could muster as the ground below him rapidly grew closer. What a way to die, freefalling in the middle of an alien invasion. Did he have any regrets?

_Perhaps one. I should've told Monika I loved her,_ MC thought. It was too late for that though. At least hitting the ground would be a relatively painless death. He closed his eyes, embraced gravity, and awaited death's tragic kiss.

"Gotcha!"

The sensation of falling had stopped, yet MC still felt very much alive. He opened his eyes to find himself in the arms of a space marine. He glanced up, and through the orange visor, he could barely make out Monika's eyes.

He emitted an audible groan. "I should've known you were behind, this, Monika."

Monika helped MC back on his feet. "What, no thank you? I mean, I kinda saved your life."

"You nearly got me killed, too. I'm pretty sure that cancels things out."

Monika chuckled nervously. "I guess you got me there. It was worth it to me, at least."

MC raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Monika's gaze fell downward. It was a good thing she was wearing a helmet, otherwise MC might've noticed the drool pouring out of her mouth. MC followed her gaze to realize that he was in nothing but his underwear once again.

"Monika!" MC exclaimed, covering himself up the best he could. He was in public, after all. "Can you poof me up a uniform? Please!?"

"Fine, way to spoil the moment," Monika teased, but she did as he asked. MC quickly put on the space marine uniform. It was an exact replica as the one from the game, and he couldn't help but feel both amused and impressed that Monika had done the research. He didn't have much time to dwell on that thought, however. Instead, he turned his gaze skyward. UFOs dove and darted around the neighborhood, targeting and abducting citizens like a swarm of locusts devouring crops.

"Monika!" MC exclaimed worriedly. "Why did you have to do this!?"

"There's no need to worry, MC," Monika rationalized as she materialized a rocket launcher into her hands. "I promise I have this all under control, just like in the game."

MC glanced at the wanton destruction occurring both in the neighborhood and the city at large. "You call this under control?" He questioned dryly.

"Yes," Monika confirmed. Then, she brought up the mod menu, popped a generic-looking ray gun into existence, and handed it off to MC. "What do you say we go blow up some UFOs, my sexy space marine?" Monika questioned with an amused giggle.

MC examined the ray gun briefly. He had to admit, the power he felt just by holding it was rather exhilarating. Was it enough to change his mind? He wasn't really certain.

"I really wish you'd run these more dangerous love tests by me, first. It might save us a whole bunch of trouble."

Monika frowned. "Where's the surprise in it, then?"

MC sighed, then eyed the extraterrestrial invasion with a newfound sense of bravery. "Fair point."


	17. Cosplaying

MC poked his helmeted head out from behind a hedge and scanned the street ahead of him. The neighborhood, though generally never really busy, was now completely abandoned on the ground level. For such a calamity to strike so suddenly, little evidence had been left behind. There were neither crashed cars nor dropped possessions, just an empty road. Were it not for the squadrons of UFOs above, one would be reasonable to assume that the area had been transformed into some sort of modern ghost town.

"See anything, MC?" Monika inquired with a curious whisper.

"Oh, I see a lot of things," MC informed as he turned to face Monika. "Right now, I see a girl that I want to smack upside the head."

"Good thing I'm wearing a helmet, then," Monika quipped. "I think you'll change your mind when we start blowing things up. Maybe you'll even want to go in the opposite direction, if you know what I mean."

MC shook his head in frustration. "Monika, I swear, sometimes I don't know what to do with you."

Monika shrugged. "Neither do I, MC. Anyway, do you have a plan?"

MC nodded, then pointed at the house next door. "We should probably team up with Sayori before she gets abducted."

"Awww," Monika pouted. "I don't want Sayori third-wheeling on our date."

"I never agreed to the prospect of a date," MC reminded. "Besides, the more DPS we can get on those things, the better."

Monika nodded. "Smart. I like that in a man. One question, though: Is Sayori really the type of person we want to trust with a weapon? She is a little ditzy."

"That's a pretty rich accusation, Monika," MC informed. "I mean, you did just unleash hell on the entire neighborhood, after all."

"W-well, yeah," Monika admitted, her cheeks rosy with both shame and romantic desire. 'But I did it for you. That should count for something, right?"

"And now I feel guilty," MC stated in a deadpan tone. "I'm going to go get Sayori before you make me change my mind."

With that said, MC turned away and sprinted down the street. Monika, however, did not immediately follow. Instead, she merely crossed her arms and stewed to herself in quiet frustration.

" _Monika, I swear, sometimes I don't know what to do with you,_ " she imitated with her best MC impression. "I wouldn't have to guess so much if you would just tell me what you liked," she mumbled quietly to herself as she ran off after him.

The two of the made it to Sayori's house without incident. MC wasted no time in wrapping the door rapidly.

"Sayori!" He called out. "Wakey-wakey! You're going to be late for school!"

No response. MC wasn't expecting any less from his sleepy friend, but it still caused a groan to escape his lips. "She might be a few minutes."

Monika pulled out her rocket launcher. "Or you could just stand back and let me blow her door open. I think manners don't exactly apply in these types of situations, MC."

"Oh, right," MC chuckled nervously as he backed away from the door. "I guess this might be one alarm clock that actually wakes her up."

Monika fired, and as the smoke cleared, Sayori could be seen running down the stairs. She was dressed in a set of fluffy pink pajamas, complete with a pair of smiling bunny slippers, and she clutched Mr. Cow tightly to her chest. It was clear from her messy bedhead that she had indeed been fast asleep just a minute before. However, her surprised blue eyes suggested that she was now very wide awake.

"Uh, good morning, Sayori," MC greeted as he stepped through the massive hole in Sayori's wall.

"Good morning, you two?" She greeted, but her tone was more questioning than anything else. "What's going on? Why are you dressed like it's Halloween?" Then, Sayori gasped in realization. "Oh, **_oh_** , is there a convention in town!?"

MC shrugged. "Sure let's go with that. We, er, even have an outfit for you, right Monika?"

Monika briefly stepped behind what remained of the wall, materialized yet another space marine outfit into existence, then tossed it toward Sayori. The bubbly genki girl examined the outfit with no small amount of curiosity, but her lips soon curled into an excited smile.

"Cool!" She exclaimed enthusiastically. "We all have matching costumes! You're so thoughtful, Monika!"

"Don't mention it," Monika informed with a polite nod.

Sayori squealed with joy. "Hold on, I think I can dress up Mr. Cow as an ewok or something!"

"Uh, no time!" MC informed as he grabbed her by the hand. "Uhh, the whole town is already celebrating! You don't want to miss anymore than you already have, do you?"

"What!? Oh crap, I've been wasting time, haven't I!?" Sayori squealed. She shoved her favorite pillow pal right into MC's arms. "H-hold Mr. Cow, MC; I'll be right _baacccckkkkkkkk_!"

As Sayori vanished into her room, MC turned to face Monika. "You know, Monika, maybe you had a point; I'm starting to believe that recruiting Sayori might not have been the best idea."

Monika rolled her eyes. "You think? I hope you know I'm not going to give her any explosive weapons."

MC nodded. "Probably for the best. Besides, you probably want to look the best in front of me, don't you?" He teased.

Monika giggled. "You know me so well, MC!"

"OK, I'm ready!" Sayori called as she ran out of her room. She hopped up and down rather joyously, and on top of her helmet rested her trademark red bow. "Oh my goodness, I'm so excited! We should get Natsuki and Yuri, too! We'll win cosplay of the year for sure!"

MC placed Mr. Cow onto the couch, then started for the hole in the wall formally known as Sayori's front door. "Just what we had in mind, Sayori. You ready to head out?"

"Yep!" Sayori replied, and the three of them exited the house.


	18. T-Posing

"Thank you for walking with me to school today, Natsuki," Yuri spoke as the two literary rivals trekked down the sidewalk. "It's not too often that people want to associate with me, at least outside of English class."

"That's probably because you're a little weird, Yuri," Natsuki admitted, though there was no genuine malice in her tone.

Yuri glanced away, shame written all over her face. "I-I know. You realize that you're not the first person to tell me that, right?"

Natsuk smiled, then playfully patted Yuri on the back. "Yeah, I know. Not that there's anything wrong with you being weird, Yuri. In fact, it's kinda endearing in its own way."

Yuri couldn't help but smile upon hearing that. "Thanks, Natsuki. You're one big ball of endearing cuteness, you know that?"

Natsuki's smile vanished, and she growled rather adorably. "S-shut up, Yuri! I am not cute!"

Yuri merely laughed. "You better hope you're cute. You don't exactly have much going for you in the chest department, that's for sure."

Natsuki gasped. "Yuri!"

It took a moment for Yuri to catch her breath. "What?"

"Don't 'what' me!" Natsuki scolded, her tone actually a lot more serious than Yuri expected. "What was that for?"

Yuri's playful grin faded as a nervous blush rose to take its place. "Oh! I was just teasing, Natsuki. Didn't you find it funny?"

Natsuki shook her head. "Not really."

"I-I didn't mean anything by it," Yuri stammered, now flying right into damage protection mode. "I. . . You know I'm terrible at socializing, right?" She admitted with a sigh.

"I can see that," Natsuki mumbled under her breath. "You know, Yuri, we probably _should_ do this often, at least for your own sake."

Yuri didn't know if it was appropriate to smile gratefully or frown meekly. She settled for the latter. "Yes, I suppose you have a point."

Natsuki scoffed. "Of course I do, I-" Natsuki cut herself off mid-sentence. "What the hell is that in the sky?"

"What do you mean?" Yuri questioned as she followed Natsuki's gaze. "Oh, that? It's just a UFO. You know, you really need to read more literature than _Parfait Girls_. Might I suggest-"

"I know it's a UFO, dummy!" Natsuki explained. "What is one doing in our city, though?"

"That's an excellent question," Yuri said as she stroked her chin in thought.

Natsuki's gaze narrowed. "Monika," she whispered just loudly enough for Yuri to hear. "I have the distinct feeling that Monika is behind all this."

That got a good chuckle out of Yuri. "Don't be so ridiculous, Natsuki."

"No, think about it!" Natsuki shouted as she gestured wildly. "Anytime there's something weird going on, Monika's always one step around it. Do you remember the time I got attacked by velociraptors? It was Monika who saved me."

Before Natsuki had a chance to further elaborate on her conspiratorial thoughts, a dark shadow enveloped the pair, causing them to glance up. In an instant, they were surrounded by a spotlight of green. Involuntarily, the pair began to lift off into the air.

"And now, we're being abducted," Natsuki observed with a frustrated sigh. "Fucking Monikammmmmmmmmmm."

"Yes!" Yuri exclaimed excitedly. When she saw the frankly disturbed look Natsuki shot at her, however, Yuri did her best to feign disappointment. "I mean, oh no, we're getting abducted and potentially probed. Out of all the events that could've transpired today, this one in particular is relatively bad."

Alas, nobody was going to be abducted today. The explosion of a missile blew the offending UFO into pieces. Yuri fell, screaming all the way down. Luckily for her, MC was waiting. She landed perfectly in his arms, and MC held her in a bridal carry.

"Nice catch, MC!" Monika complimented as she walked up to them. "You should probably let her go, now, don't you think?" She questioned with her trademark sweet smile.

Despite Monika's outwardly stable demeanor, MC was perceptive enough to notice the all-consuming jealously that was burned in the retinas of Monika's eyes. She was not requesting; she was commanding politely. For this reason, MC practically dropped Yuri like a sack of potatoes.

Natsuki, meanwhile, had landed safely in a nearby hedge. She emerged a moment later, frowning with disappointment. "Oh, sure. I-it's not like I would've liked someone to catch me or anything."

As Yuri rose to her feet, an armada of UFOs approached them. Monika tossed a pair of ray guns toward Natsuki and Yuri, and she then took aim at the otherworldly spacecraft. Before she could fire, however, the alien ships touched down right in front of them. Emerging out of each one was a single stereotypical grey alien, only they did not walk. Indeed, their arms remained outstretched, and they seemed to merely glide closer. It was definitely creepy, if nothing else.

"Wait, why are their arms like that?" Natsuki questioned. "Shouldn't they be shooting at us?"

Sayori skipped over to the one in the very front. She stroked her chin curiously as she examined the alien, which did nothing to stop her, with careful attention. Finally, she turned back to the others with her trademark grin. "Well, the solution's obvious; the cosplayers just want to hug!" Then, she turned back to the alien. "You have a very nice costume, by the way. You almost look like a real alien."

"Hugs?" MC replied with an unamused frown. He stepped over to Monika, and the two locked eyes with each other nervously "Somehow, I don't think that's the case."

"It's not," Monika whispered in MC's ear, at least as closely as she could get to it. "I think their models are t-posing."

"Why did you make them t-pose?" MC whispered back.

Monika chuckled awkwardly. "I didn't exactly mean to. Coding objects is certainly a lot easier than coding an entity."

"Hey, will you two lovebirds focus!?" Natsuki exclaimed as she raised her rifle at one of the aliens. "You can make out some other time."

"But we're not making out," MC stated.

"You wanna make out?" Monika whispered to MC. "Because we can totally make out."

"Nope!" MC exclaimed. He pointed his ray gun at the crowd and prepared for the climactic final battle. "Hey aliens, guess what it is? It's T-Pose Tuesday, the last T-Pose Tuesday of your lives!"

While Sayori was just a bit busy squeezing the life out of the first alien, the other four opened fire on the battalion ahead of them. If you expect me to describe the resulting conflict in excessively gruesome detail, you came to the wrong fic; Natsuki's F-bomb is already pushing the T-rating. More importantly, however, is the fact that the aliens didn't die gruesomely at all. No, they merely died as glitch-filled as they lived, fading into nothingness while t-posing defiantly. Admittedly, it ruined the coolness factor somewhat, but MC still got to blow up his aliens in the end. All in all, it was a very productive morning.

Thanks to Monika's programming oversight, the aliens had been unable to fight back. Doki squad wiped the floor with the code of the aliens, and the only one left on the ground was mercilessly getting the life squeezed out of it by Sayori. Even then, it popped out of existence not a moment later. Whether it was a glitch brought about by too much physical stress to the character model, or if Sayori's hugs were strong enough to be weaponized, remained a mystery. Regardless, the disappearing act caught Sayori off-balance, and she ended falling right onto the asphalt.

"Oowie," she muttered weakly, picking herself up a moment later. "Worst convention ever!" She declared angrily as she pointed to the sky. "Look! They're already leaving!"

The five of them watched passively as the UFOs elevated themselves higher into the atmosphere.

"Well, that was anti-climatic," Natsuki proclaimed as she crossed her arms in frustration.

"Tell me about it," Monika added with an uneasy chuckle. "Do you think our school canceled today, at least?"

MC shrugged. "I doubt it. Maybe we could just hang around Sayori's house and hold our literature club meeting there, though."

"Great idea!" Sayori exclaimed. "I even have an open-air patio now! We could read in the sun!"

Natsuki and Yuri turned to MC, the expressions on their faces suggesting bewilderment.

"She means the front of her house," MC informed dryly. "Monika kinda blew it up."

Monika glanced at her rocket launcher guiltily, then tossed it away with a nonchalant whistle.

Natsuki's gaze fixated on Monika, then she nodded slowly. "You know what? I think that's a pretty good idea."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sayori questioned, but did not await an answer. She grabbed Yuri by the wrist and dragged her along as she ran. "Let's go!"

Monika and MC turned to each other for a moment, as if one of them had something to say to the other, but they instead silently followed. Natsuki followed behind them, all the while observing Monika with rapt attention.

_Something is going on with you, something that involves MC, too. I'm going to get to the bottom of this._


	19. Pizza

MC scanned his fridge for something ready to eat. Being a Saturday, he had no intention of leaving the house to buy groceries. However, his own pantry was once again light on provisions. With a sigh, he realized that his refrigerator was no better. He closed it with minor disappointment, then tapped his cheek in idle thought. What was a lazy boy to do when he was hungry? He snapped his fingers as an absolutely genius plan came to mind. Why, order a pizza, of course!

And that's exactly what he did. MC dialed the nearest pizza joint in town, placed an order for a large pepperoni, extra saucy, and patiently awaited delivery. After what seemed like 500 millenniums, but in reality was probably closer to fifteen minutes, the doorbell rang. MC scrambled to his feet, dashed to the front door with record brevity, and threw it open, anticipating the savory scent of fresh pizza.

That's exactly the smell he found tickling his nose. What he had not expected, however, were the emerald eyes of Monika staring back at him. She flashed the ideal customer service smile, for serving a customer was exactly what she was doing. Dressed in a blue button-up shirt, a black pair of shorts, and a black cap, she handed the hot box to MC.

"Pizza delivery!" Monika declared cheerfully. "One large pepperoni, _extra saucy-_ " Monika raised her eyebrows flirtatiously at this. "-delivered hot and ready to the hottest man in the neighborhood," she informed with a wink.

Though MC was certainly happy to have his pizza, his surprise temporarily over-rid his hunger. "Monika? What are you doing here?"

Monika merely giggled. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm delivering your pizza, silly! That will be fifteen seventy-nine, by the way."

MC dug out his wallet and handed Monika sixteen bills. "When did you get a job as a pizza delivery driver?"

Monika went to work preparing the correct change. "Well, I thought it would be nice to make a little extra money on the weekends, you know? Pizza delivery is an easy enough job, isn't it?" She reasoned, though she didn't give him time to reply. "You don't know how happy I am to find out you order from my workplace. I guess you have pretty good _taste_."

MC found that pun difficult to swallow, but one more pressing question echoed in his mind. "Why not just poof up more money?" he asked. "Why bother even having a job?"

Monika's smile dropped instantly. She actually scowled at him for suggesting such a thing. "MC, that's counterfeiting. Even in the virtual world, that is a crime. Besides, you don't want me to contribute to inflation, do you?"

MC opened his mouth to respond, but his stomach gurgled. Curiosity was beginning to lose its ground against hunger. Perhaps it was best not to question such matters, and simply eat a pizza in peace. "That's a fair point."

Monika handed him the correct change. "You know, you should order pizza more often, MC," Monika suggested with her sugary sweet smile. "I would always deliver for you."

"I'll keep that in mind," MC noted. "Thanks for the grub, Monika. Stay safe out there."

"Wait!" Monika interjected, grabbing MC by the arm. "A-aren't you gonna give me a tip?"

"Oh," MC said. "Yeah, of course. Just a second, Monika, I gotta go set the pizza down."

"OK, I can wait."

MC closed the door, set the pizza down, and fished through his wallet once again. Unfortunately, it was pretty much empty after such a payout.

_Drat_.

A wave of guilt washed over MC. Monika had made it over in record time, and her cheery attitude was certainly the pinnacle of any good employee. How was he supposed to award her hard work without a tip? He stood there for a solid minute, tapping his foot, searching for something as valuable as five bucks, but nothing came about.

Then, a knock broke him from his thoughts. "Uh, MC?" Monika's muffled voice called out. "I need to get back to work soon. Do you have that tip yet?"

So there was no time. Just as MC was about to break the bad news to her, an idea wriggled its way into the front of his mind. There was one thing that Monika would probably take over money any day, something that he could easily give her.

So he opened the front door, and Monika looked at him expectantly.

"So, do you have the-"

Monika's words were cut off with her own gasp as MC grabbed her head and gave her a wet smooch on the cheek. When he pulled back, he saw that Monika's face was indescribably red. Her eyes, now the size of pinpricks, were locked with his. She stared at him, completely breathless, and said nothing.

"How was that for a tip?" MC asked with a playful wink.

Was it noble of him to play with a girl's heart like this? I should say not. However, judging by the fact that Monika's legs were now more wobbly than disturbed jelly, it definitely was a better alternative than money.

Monika eventually blew air between her lips, and the largest smile MC had ever seen made its way to her face. He could practically see pinks hearts rising from Monika's lovestruck brain. "W-wow, t-that was wonderful. You really know how to make a girl happy, you know that?"

MC chuckled victoriously. "I've been told that a lot. By you, anyway. That was just a tip, though; don't get any funny ideas."

Monika cocked her head as drool began to puddle at her feet. "That's OK, MC. It's all I need for right now."

There was an awkward silence as both parties struggled to find something worth saying. At last, Monika spoke up. "Uh, MC, I think I need a little bit of help."

Minor concern flashed onto MC's face. "Why?"

Monika giggled like a little girl. "My legs have turned to jelly."

MC gave Monika a knowing smile. "This isn't some excuse to get me to walk with you, is it?"

Monika uttered a defeated sigh. "Darn it, you got me," she locked eyes with MC one more time. There was a mixture of bliss and thankfulness in them. "Enjoy your pizza, MC. I didn't make it, but I hope some of my love sprinkled onto it."

"Thank you, Monika," MC replied with an endearing grin. "You have a good day, now."

And with that, he entered his house and shut the door behind him. For the longest time, Monika stared at the wooden door as she daydreamed about that kiss. Eventually, she turned her back on his house, and all the while, she imagined a thousand more scenarios where she received that same smooch.

They would all be made into reality, given enough time.


	20. Teleportation

"Wakey wakey, MC," came a soft mutter that managed to gently tug MC from the throes of unconsciousness. Instinctively, he stretched and yawned, only to feel a pair of hands softly stroking his backside. He felt the soft warmth of someone's breath on his cheek, and his eyes shot open to find Monika's face just inches away from his own. Mischief and affection danced wildly in her eyes.

"Good morning, my love," she cooed softly. "Did you sleep well?"

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" MC screamed as he frantically flung himself backwards and out of bed. However, by conducting such a spontaneous action, he failed to realize that Monika's arms remained wrapped tightly around his back. The result was that she toppled down with him, and their faces were still mere inches from touching.

MC scrambled back and rose to his feet, still very shocked. "Monika! What are you. . . How did you. . . _Why_!?"

Monika hummed in an amused manner. "That's easy, MC," she uttered. He blinked for what must've been a nanosecond, and she had backed away at least three feet. "I teleported," she whispered.

"AH!" MC shouted once again, but his back was now against the wall. She had played him like a fiddle. "Why were you in my bed, though!?"

Monika blushed slightly. "It wasn't like _that_ , MC; I just wanted to hold you in my arms. I've only cuddled with you in my dreams, you know? I couldn't pass up such an opportunity now, could I?"

"I don't know about that," MC replied. "It's kinda scary to have someone randomly pop into your room at night."

"You know, it's not that scary," Monika assured with a dismissive wave. She brought up her mod menu, quickly wrote a few commands in, then closed it.

"It's-" she vanished and reappeared next to his bedroom door.

"-Rather-" she continued, now next to his window.

"-Neat, don't you think?" she said as she reappeared right by his side.

MC gulped. "Are you teleporting, Monika?"

Monika wrapped him in an affectionate hug. "You're so smart MC," she whispered happily. "I'm so lucky to have fallen for a guy like you."

"First of all, Monika, please get off me. Your giraffe-based rules on hugging don't apply in here."

"Fine," Monika acknowledged, and she reluctantly let go.

MC sat up, his face stricken with pure bewilderment. "Second of all, let me get this straight. You can teleport now?"

Monika nodded. "Yep! All it took was a little addition to the game's code. Now you can always be just a tap away from me, MC! Isn't that great?"

An image flashed through MC's mind, one of Monika staring intently at his sleeping body, a creepy smile etched on her face. It made him shudder rather visibly. Had she misinterpreted the kiss he had provided yesterday? Maybe it would've been for the best if he hadn't done such a thing. "I don't know if I share your enthusiasm."

"C'mon, MC, this is great!" Monika exclaimed excitedly. "We can go anywhere in the entire world together, just the two of us," she whispered romantically. "Why don't I show you?"

MC's eyes widened as Monika brought up her trademark gray mod menu. "Monika? What are you doing?"

Monika turned to him and winked. "I'm going to show you the world," she insisted, her hand wrapping around MC's. "Just hold on to me, OK."

"Wait, Monika, I didn't agree to this-"

_goto_DokiCity_

The blinding rays of the morning sun instantly assaulted MC's face. He flinched out of instinct, but as his eyes adjusted to the natural light about him, MC found that they were on top of one of the many skyscrapers in the generic metropolis that MC had often seen in the background on his way to school.

Monika was, of course, there as well. She leaned over the edge and stared longingly at the sunrise before the two of them. It bathed the eastern skyline in an array of gold and orange that, while not quite as magnificent as the jetpack flight, still provided them with a magnificent view.

MC had to admit, this was pretty neat. He joined Monika wordlessly, and the two gazed at the many sights of the city together. It was amazing; they were at the heart of it all, and yet they were also alone together. The last time MC had the opportunity to appreciate a view this spectacular, he was way more concerned with the prospect of falling to his death. Now, he could just enjoy it.

MC was the one that broke the silence. "You know, Monika. This actually isn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Monika's eyes lit up with pure joy. "Oh, I'm so glad you like it, MC. You know, we could come up here everyday, if you want."

MC looked around with a smile. That wasn't a bad proposition, actually. However, the more sensible part of his mind flashed back to the new memory of Monika breaking into his room with her newfound ability. Eventually, he shook his head. "No, Monika, I'd rather you not teleport at all, honestly. It's not polite to trespass into other people's houses, you know?"

Monika scoffed. "I-I know that, MC! Don't you think it could be useful, too?"

MC shook his head. "Not really, no."

The mod menu popped up in front of Monika, and Monika typed in _goto_Natsuki_house_. "Why don't we go visit Natsuki?" she suggested. "She might need our help with something."

MC shook his head. "Monika, I didn't-"

Once again, he found himself somewhere different. Not bothering to finish his sentence, MC glanced around at the room he was now in. The walls were painted a sickeningly sweet pinkish color, and many were adorned with countless cutesy anime posters. MC recognized at least three from _Parfait Girls_. Sitting on the floor, her eyes bulging and mouth agape, was Natsuki.

"What the hell are you two doing here in my room?" Natsuki questioned incredulously.

Monika chuckled awkwardly. "Well, we just wanted to come over here for a visit, right MC?"

MC felt Monika lightly jab her elbow at his chest. "Oh, yeah. Cute room, by the way."

Natsuki's cheeks turned a bright red. "S-shut up, it's not cute!"

Monika herself took a glance around, while MC approached Natsuki's desk in the corner of the room. "I don't know," Monika added. "I'm inclined to agree with MC on this one; it's a pretty cute room."

MC couldn't help but burst out into laughter as he scanned the title of Natsuki's most recent internet search. "Hey Monika, come read this."

Monika stepped over and bent down in an effort to get a closer look. "How to be cute," she read aloud. "Oh, you don't need to worry, Natsuki; you're already cute."

Natsuki shoved Monika aside. "Stop it," she growled aggressively as she minimized the window. "I'm not cute, and I don't wanna be cute! I'm an adult; respect that!"

While Natsuki ranted and raved in Monika's general direction, MC turned his attention to Natsuki's desktop wallpaper. "Uh, Natsuki? Your desktop would suggest otherwise."

Contrary to Natsuki's prior claim, her computer's wallpaper was as pink as her hair. Chibi cats, complete with rosy red cheeks, adorned all four corners of the monitor. If this wasn't cute, then MC didn't know what was. Natsuki eyed her monitor, then MC's cheeky grin, and she groaned loudly.

"Dad!" Natsuki shouted. "Help me!"

"What!? I'm coming, Natsuki!"

MC and Monika exchanged panicked glances as the sound of thunderous footsteps rapidly grew louder. "Uh, Monika, get us out of here!" MC whispered.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Monika replied as she pulled up the mod menu and typed _goto_MC_house_.

"Wait, what is that!?" Natsuki exclaimed as she eyed the mod menu. "How did you do that!?"

But she would not get her answer. Natsuki's dad practically busted the door off its hinges. His eyes were filled with no small amount of worry. "I'm here, Natsuki! What's wrong!?"

But Nasuki was now alone, as MC and Monika had vanished in the nick of time. She glanced at her father and flashed a nervous smile. "N-nothing, papa. Just forget I ever said anything."

The worry within her father's eyes melted into equal parts anger and disappointment. Wordlessly, he turned away from her and walked out, mumbling something incomprehensible under his breath. It was enough to make Natsuki sulk in shame. She sat down on her bed, propping her head in her hands, and thought about what she had just seen. What had Monika just done? How did she and MC just warp away like that? It made absolutely no sense to her. A lot of things didn't make any sense to her, not anymore, at least.

"Fucking Monikammmmmmmmm," she muttered under her breath.

Meanwhile, Monika and MC popped back into existence on the front porch of MC's house. As if they were still wary, both glanced cautiously at their newfound surroundings. However, when it became clear that both were safe, they breathed matching sighs of relief.

"Well," MC began, his voice stern and no-nonsense. "I think you learned your lesson today, didn't you?"

Monika glanced away, the faint hint of an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. "I did," she sighed at last. "It just. . . It just seemed like such a great idea at the time. You're not angry, are you?"

The earnest shame in Monika's eyes and voice struck successfully at MC's heart. Without any hesitation, he gently patted her on the back in an awkward attempt to cheer her up. "No, I'm not angry. I'm a little bit disappointed that you basically broke into my house and into my bed, but I'm not mad."

Monika chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry about that. I'll keep my teleportation in check from now on, k?"

MC smiled. "Alright, I trust you."

"So," Monika began with newfound resolve. "Would you like to see more of the world with me?"

MC grabbed her by the hand, causing Monika to blush slightly. "Sure."


	21. Natsuki's Proposal

Humming happily to herself, Monika gently wrapped her snow-white bow around her brown hair, then gazed at herself in the mirror. In regards to her physical appearance, there was nothing out of the ordinary. However, a glint of courage was visible in both her eyes and her smile. Today would be the day she would win MC's heart; she just knew it.

"You got this," she told her reflection, steeling her resolve all the more. "How can he resist such a smile from such a pretty girl? He can't, that's how!"

_Ding-dong!_

Monika's gaze shifted away form the mirror as her peppy demeanor faltered into mild confusion. Though it was not the first time that, for a change, a visitor had rang _her_ doorbell, it was the nevertheless a role-reversal she had yet to grow accustomed to. Who could possibly have a reason to visit her so early?

_What if MC has finally returned my feelings?_

Such a thought, wishful thinking as it may have been, was the first to cross Monika's mind. She gasped, scrambled out of her bathroom, and bolted for the front door. She flung it open, her mind now convinced beyond all doubt, and wrapped the body in front of her in a crushing hug.

"Oh, MC!" Monika shouted blissfully. "I knew this day would come! Of course I accept your confession, silly!"

"M-Monika," the voice, a distinctively _female_ voice, choked out. "P-please, let me go."

Monika's smiled curled into a confused, disappointed frown. When she opened her eyes, she found her head buried in a mound of pinkish locks. Instantaneously, her grip slacked, and when Natsuki could finally breathe again, she eyed Monika with a strange synthesis of smugness and anger.

"Thank you," Natsuki uttered, taking a moment to straighten out her uniform.

Monika's entire face was overcome with a fiery hue. "S-sorry, Natsuki. I just. . . I just got a little excited, I guess," she tried to defuse the uncomfortable situation with an awkward chuckle, but it only made things worse.

"I can see that," Natsuki replied. "How's your day been so far?"

Monika cocked her head. "What do you mean, Natsuki? The day has just started. Why are you even hear so early, anyway?"

"I came over to ask a couple of questions, but you've already answered one of them," Natsuki answered, crossing her arms and flashing a knowing smile. "Tell me, Monika: How good of a kisser is MC?"

"What makes you think I'd know such a thing, or care, for that matter?" Monika questioned as dismissively as she could appear, but her heated face betrayed her facade.

Natsuki merely raised her eyebrows in conspicuous amusement. "C'mon, Monika, don't lie to me."

Knowing that there was no point in hiding what was clearly the truth, Monika drooped her head in defeat. "Darn it," she muttered. "I wouldn't really know, Natsuki. He doesn't exactly like me back."

Natsuki frowned. "Of course he doesn't, Monika. If what just happened to me has any indication, you're too clingy for your own good."

"What are you talking about?" Monika questioned.

Natsuki groaned. "It's the first rule of dating, Monika: never chase the guy. No matter how much you want it, no matter how you might feel for him, you have to make him earn it."

Monika was silent for a moment, allowing the idea to swish around in her mind. Ultimately, she shook her head. "What if he doesn't want to earn it?" she questioned, slightly dejected. "I don't think he's fallen for me like I have with him."

Natsuki grabbed by Monika by her shirt collar and yanked her rather forcefully. The two of them locked eyes with each other, and Monika noticed a fierce, fiery determination within Natsuki.

"Then you gotta make him," was all she said through gritted teeth. "And I am just the person to help you with that."

As quickly as she had grabbed Monika, she let go, causing her to step back a little bit. "Wow, Natsuki, for someone of your size, you sure do have a strong grip."

"Call it a talent of mine," Natsuki quipped.

"So, make him come to me," Monika muttered aloud. "How exactly do I do that?"

Natsuki smirked. "Come on, Monika. I'm going to give you a makeover."

As Natsuki stepped into the house, Monika followed. "Why do you want to help me out, here?" Monika questioned. "What do you get out of it?"

Natsuki skidded to a halt. "Well, friends help friends out, don't they?"

Monika eyed Natsuki suspiciously. "Somehow, I don't buy that."

Natsuki groaned. "Alright, I'll come clean. Do you remember how I said I came over to ask _two_ questions?"

Monika nodded wordlessly.

"Well, I want an answer for my second question, too. Do you remember popping into my room, yesterday? How did you do that? I want answers."

Monika's eyes widened. "Natsuki, you don't want to know."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "No, I'm pretty sure I want to know."

Monika grabbed Natsuki's shoulders and stared deep into her very soul. "No, Natsuki. I know things that would break your very concept of reality. Trust me, I'm telling this for your own good: you do not want to know."

But Natsuki's resolve did not dissolve. If anything, it seemed to grow stronger. "Alright, Monika. We're doing this now, whether you like it or not."

"Nope," Monika protested. "I refuse."

Natsuki, however, utilized her small frame to expertly maneuver herself out of Monika's grip. Within half a second, she had Monika by the arm, dragging her to the bathroom with a surprising amount of strength. "I don't care if you refuse; you're going to win MC over, the _right_ way, and I'm going to find out what you know."

"Natsuki, stop it!" Monika yelled. "Help! I'm being held against my will by a pink midget! Somebody, save me!"

Unfortunately for Monika, nobody came.


	22. Tsunderes

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Monika questioned as the two of them approached MC's house.

Natsuki scoffed at the very suggestion that this wasn't a good idea. "Of course it's a good idea, Monika. You look cute as a button."

Monika ran a hand through her hair, which was now a bright cyan blue. In addition, it had been curled into girlish pigtails. Instead of her trademark school uniform, she wore a pinkish t-shirt that hung loosely off her torso, and her skirt was replaced with a pair of jean shorts. Despite Natsuki's insistence, Monika felt the opposite of cute.

"No, I just look like I might be mistaken for daddy issues," Monika pointed out.

Natsuki nearly growled. Monika realized that perhaps it wasn't a good idea to mention daddy issues in front of Natsuki, especially since she was the one behind the makeover. "No. You. Look. _Cute._ "

_Riggggghhhhhhhhhtttt_ , Monika thought to herself. Nevertheless, she turned her attention to the front door. There was no way she could back out of this, not with Natsuki watching her every move from behind. She narrowed her eyes and drew a deep breath. "I'm going in."

"That's what I'm talking about," Natsuki proclaimed with an encouraging grin. "Just play things out like we rehearsed, and he'll be all over you in no time."

Monika nodded. She took her first tentative steps toward the front door, then nervously threw her gaze back at Natsuki. Her involuntary love guru and fellow club member dove into wall of shrubbery, concealing her better than Monika would've expected. She increased her pace, though her confidence still greatly wavered, and rang the doorbell as soon as she could reach it.

Within a few seconds, MC was at the door. He raised a bewildered eyebrow at Monika, then glanced down at her outfit. "Can I help you?"

Monika instantly scowled and scoffed. Tsundere mode had been activated. "N-no! Why would I ask for your help in the first place!? I-it's not like I need it or anything, idiot!"

MC winced slightly at her harsh proclamations, but was nevertheless more confused than anything else. "I'm sorry?" He replied with an inquisitive inflection. "Who are you, and why are you at my house?"

Monika haughtily turned her head up at MC. "O-of course you don't recognize me, idiot! Gosh, you're so stupid! It's me, Monika."

MC's eyes widened in realization. That voice did sound familiar, but nothing about her appearance rang a bell.

"Monika? What have you done to yourself?"

Monika threw her gaze back at MC, and the burning hatred in her eyes rivaled that of a hundred dragons teaming up to level a local kingdom to the ground. "What do you mean? Can't a girl change her look every once in a while? Not everything has to revolve around you, you selfish ass."

MC unconsciously scooted his body so that most of it was hidden behind the door. "Jeez, I was only asking. You do look a lot different, after all."

_You're also acting like a total psycho._

"Do you like it?" Monika asked, dropping her tsundere act for the briefest of moments. Before MC even had a chance to respond, however, Monika's guard rose once again. "N-not that I care whether you like it or not? Ha! I'd rather you didn't, since your taste is trash."

MC shot a glare at Monika. "I don't like it, but I could live with it. What I can't live with, however, is your hateful attitude."

"Hateful attitude?" Monika questioned. "Nothing about my attitude is hateful, dummy! Get it through your thick skull!"

MC leaned forward to the point where his nose smudged against Monika's. "Who are you calling thick-skulled?"

"You, buster!" Monika argued back. "Your skull isn't just thick, it's extra thick!"

The belligerent sexual tension was everything Natsuki could've dreamed of. "Hurry up and kiss already!" she exclaimed from her hiding place, realizing all too late that she had just given herself away.

As her shouting knocked the duo back into reality, it became readily apparent to the both of them that their lips were mere centimeters out of each other's reach. This caused MC to jerk his head back in surprise, while Monika turned to face the bushes with genuine anger.

"Aw, come on, Natsuki! I was so close!"

MC crossed his arms and glanced at Monika with a knowing frown. "I should've realized this was some sort of plan to win me over."

Monika shot a embarrassed smile at MC. "So, I take it you're not into tsunderes, are you?"

MC shook his head. "Nope. All they do is get on my nerves."

As he said this, Natsuki emerged from the bushes, her uniform now covered in dirt and grime. "Boy, MC, you really need to trim your hedges; they're a mess."

MC glanced at Natsuki, then back at Monika. "Why are you getting help from her?"

"I didn't have a choice," Monika muttered ruefully. "She kinda wants something from me."

"What?"

Monika leaned in closer. "She wants to know about _the game_ ," she whispered just loudly enough for MC to hear.

The sudden realization of what happened yesterday dawned on MC. Of course Natsuki would ask questions after what she saw! Why didn't Monika think of that? Why didn't _he_ think of that?

Natsuki cleared her throat. Monika turned around to find her tapping her foot impatiently. "I believe you owe me something."

Monika chuckled. "Well, Natsuki, you see. . .-"

Just as the silence was beginning to become downright uncomfortable, Monika booked it through MC's open door. Instinctively, he followed suit, slamming it behind him and locking it just before Natsuki reached the front porch.

"Hey!" Natsuki shouted as she began to loudly bang on the door. "No fair, Monika! We had a deal, remember!?"

"Well, he's still not exactly in love with me, you know?" Monika countered, then, as if seeking confirmation, she turned to MC. "You're not in love with me, are you?"

MC allowed himself a moment to mull it over. "I don't think so, sorry."

"Yes!" Monika shouted victoriously. Then, the realization of what that statement meant set in, evaporating any sort of enthusiasm she possessed. "Darn it."

Natsuki growled. "Fine, Monika, be that way! Don't think this is the last time I'm bringing it up, though! I know you're behind something, and I'm going to find out!"

A moment of silence led MC to peak out the nearest window just in time to see Natsuki turn the corner. Her fists were clenched in anger, and MC couldn't help but ponder over whether she would want to show up at the club meeting today.

"She's gone, Monika," he finally informed.

Monika breathed a sigh of relief. "What are we gonna do about her, MC?"

MC groaned. "I don't know, Monika. If Natsuki is suspicious about the nature of our world, it will only be a matter of time until she finds the truth. I don't suppose you'd be willing to mod that out of her memory, would you?"

Monika shook her head. "MC, I don't mess with the character files, anymore. You know I'm still a little guilty over the whole deletion incident, right?"

MC relived his own painful memories of the event for a split-second. He nodded in agreement. "Yep. Makes sense. Sorry I brought it up

"It's alright," Monika attempted a giggle as she ran a hand through her blue locks. "I can't believe I let Natsuki do this to my hair. Now I'll have to go to school like this."

"Couldn't you just edit your hair back to what it was?" MC proposed.

Monika shrugged. "I don't think I have a mod for that. Not yet, anyway."

"Well, crap. I guess you're screwed, then."

Monika emitted an embarrassed moan. "Today's gonna suck, MC."

"My sentiments exactly."


	23. Ping-Pong

_Ding-dong!_

MC opened the door, expecting to find Monika and her vivid green eyes waiting for him. However, all he received instead was a smack in the face, courtesy of a small paddle.

"Ow!" MC shouted as he fell back from the sheer surprise of the attack. A moment later, he opened his eyes to find Monika standing over him, worried shame embedded in her shrunken irises. Her hair was back to the color and style she knew and loved, and she once again wore her typical schoolgirl outfit.

"Are you OK, MC?" she inquired fretfully, offering a hand to help him up. "I-I didn't meant to-"

Her words were cut off by the sound of MC's jovial chuckles. Odd as it was, MC found himself rather happy to have experienced such an impromptu start to his day. Why what that, exactly? MC decided that it had to be because he saw Monika, and only she could begin his days like this. After all, she was his knight in shining armor against the forces of boredom and monotony. There was a time when he felt these visits were an obligation to help a friend recover from her own emotional scars, but those days were now long gone. If anything, he needed her now almost as much as she needed him. It was a peculiar ritual in their friendship, a bizarre form of symbiosis in a world where nothing much mattered, but MC wouldn't trade it for any reality. Neither would Monika, but he'd have to be a fool to not recognize that.

"-do that," Monika finally concluded, as MC's reflection upon this had rendered him quiet for several seconds. "I didn't hit your head too hard, did I?"

MC merely grinned, grabbing Monika's hand to pull himself up. "Not at all, Monika. I'm just very happy to see you, that's all."

At this, Monika couldn't help but blush slightly. That was a sentence she had been waiting to hear for a long time, and unlike with the player, MC had said this out of his own volition. There was no pre-determined option for him to select; these words had come from the heart. It made Monika's love burn ever brighter, something she didn't know was possible.

"I'm happy to see you, too," she proclaimed preciously, wrapping MC in one of her trademark tight hugs. "You really are perfect."

MC chuckled nervously, and if he happened to blush just slightly, Monika did not seem to notice. I'm certain you have something to fix that though, right?" he questioned with a knowing smirk.

Monika matched his with her own, then tossed him the paddle. This time, it was a much more gentle move. "I sure have. Are you down for a match of ping-pong, MC?"

"Just what the doctor ordered, Monika!" MC responded excitedly. "I'll definitely take you on."

Monika smiled joyously. "Alright, MC. I'm going to go easy on you, though."

"Ah, already accepting your inevitable smackdown?" MC teasingly taunted. "Smart move, Monika."

Monika's eyes narrowed, and she matched MC's smirk with her own. "Oh, I don't know about that, MC," she replied. "I am rather athletic, after all. I mean, at least that's what it says in my character description. I don't actually remember playing a sport before."

"Well, you won't have to worry about memory, Monika. By the time we're done, I'll give you a defeat you'll never forget," MC joked as he backed away a few paces.

With enough space to do so, Monika spawned a ping-pong table in-between them. A single orange ball materialized into Monika's hand, and she bounced it against the table a few times as a measure of playful intimidation.

"Ready?" she questioned.

"Ready."

In a surprisingly swift move, Monika threw the ball upwards and whacked it toward MC with all of her strength. It came quickly, too quickly for MC, and he didn't smack at it until it had already hit the wall behind him.

A snicker escaped Monika's lips. "Fifteen, _love_ ," she joked flirtatiously. "Gotta try harder than that, MC."

"Yeah, yeah," MC snorted, picking up the ball. "You're lucky I was warming up with that one."

"Are you gonna say that every time you lose?" Monika inquired. "You may get tired of that phrase, once I'm done with you."

"That's implying I'm going to lose again," MC countered.

With that, he served the ball, sending it toward Monika at a moderate pace. It was a decent serve, but not good enough to surpass Monika's apparent table tennis skills, she knocked it back at MC, increasing its speed all the more. It came flying at MC, but he was ready for it this time, and knocked it back at Monika. She returned it with similar precision, and the dance had begun. What advantage Monika had in power, MC made up for in stamina. She fought hard, engaging all she could but as the match went on, her swings gradually weakened. Eventually, there came a point where she swung just a little too prematurely, forcing her to watch in horror as the ball soared past her.

"Ha!" MC exclaimed. "Fifteen, love!"

Monika turned back to MC, her eyebrows raised in mild confusion. "Uh, no. 15-all."

"Oh, crap," MC spoke, still smiling. "I have no idea how they score in tennis."

Monika grabbed the ball, preparing herself for yet another serve powerful enough to throw off MC. "Then I'll just have to teach you the hard way."

On that morning, a war was waged in MC's living room. There was nothing quite like a ping-pong match between two friends, especially ones that shared such potent romantic tension with one another. The ball was not the only thing exchanged between the two of them; good-natured jokes and jabs came with each victory, and each defeat brought about the same ill-fated promise of it being the last, not that it seemed to dampen either of their spirits. Their skills were, more-or-less, evenly matched, and that made the game all the more exciting.

Perhaps, however, it was simply too exciting. What was meant to be a single match unwittingly evolved into a series of sets worthy of a full-blown ping pong championship tournament. It was not until Monika just so happened to glance at MC's microwave that she realized how much time had elapsed. Her jaw dropped, and with it, her focus.

"Yeah!" MC exclaimed, pumping his free fist victoriously. "40-30! How do you like that, Monika?"

Monika merely swallowed. "Uh, MC? Do you know how long we've been playing?"

MC stopped celebrating long enough to notice that there was genuine concern in Monika's tone. "No?"

His eyes then followed Monika's. The time on the microwave read _9:37_.

"I-I didn't mean for this to get so out of hand!" Monika explained nervously. "I'm sorry, MC, please don't be mad at me."

MC did not seem to be concerned about this in the slightest. In fact, he actually smiled, as if the very concept of being late was something he celebrated. "Why would I be mad about it, Monika? This is more fun than any class period could possibly be."

"I know that," Monika replied. "What about the others, though? What about the literature club? Are you really suggesting we don't show today?"

MC grinned devilishly. "Why _not_ skip today? We can call it revenge for the others bailing on us that one time."

Monika felt her cheeks heat up at the mere suggestion of spending the whole day with MC. Had she died? What sort of heaven was this? Could it last forever? Those questions swam around in her mind with such overwhelming vigor that she nearly fainted right then and there. Luckily for her, MC playfully tossed the ping pong ball at her, causing her to snap back to reality. She swung at it halfheartedly, but missed.

"Yes!" Monika exclaimed without thinking any further. "I'd love to, more than anything else in the world!"

Such a response elicited a chuckle out of MC. "Alright then. Well, I think it's pretty clear I won that match," he bragged. "What do you want to do now?"

Monika pondered momentarily. "Want to just sit down and read a book together?"

"Really?" MC inquired dryly. "You just want to have a club meeting here?"

"Yeah," Monika replied. "I-I'm not even asking for a date or anything; I just want to, you know, get to know the more philosophical side of you. What better way is there than to discuss literature?"

MC nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. What do you have in mind?"

Monika's eyes beamed with indescribable joy. The mod menu appeared in front of her, and two copies of a book fell into her hands. MC did not even have time to scan the cover before Monika turned toward the kitchen table, throwing a smile over her shoulder as she did so.

Though he had been a faithful member of the literature club for some time now, MC had to admit that he still found reading books on his own a tad dull. However, he had Monika by his side, his brave knight against all things boring. As he took a seat next to her, a certain thought crossed his mind, one that served to invigorate his mind and warm his very soul:

With her, anything could be an adventure.


	24. Chibi Monika

_Ding-dong!_

Like the cool dude he was, MC slid down the stair railing and bounded for the front door. As he opened it, however, the only thing that greeted him was the morning sunshine.

"Am I hearing things?" MC thought out loud. "I could've sworn I just heard the doorbell ring."

"You did," said a high-pitched voice that sounded faintly like Monika's.

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Monika?" he called out, shooting brief glances to both his left and his right. She was still nowhere to be seen. "Please tell me I'm not going crazy."

"Look down, silly!"

So MC did. To his surprise, Monika was indeed there. However, her body was merely a fraction of its standard size. In contrast to her tiny body, her head remained relatively the same in terms of size. If anything, her eyes were actually a little bigger than usual. That's when MC realized it: Monika had become chibi. This was not good: she was cute, dangerously so.

"Good morning, MC!" Monika squeaked, a little spring in her step as she spoke. She smiled, her gaze pure and innocent enough to melt the hearts of even the coldest men.

MC's hand twitched. It took a considerable amount of concentration for him to not headpat her right then and there. "Uh, good morning, Monika. You look. . . Very different."

She giggled, then hopped up and down wildly. Her energy was certainly boundless this morning. MC guessed that the same amount of energy in a compressed frame must've been the cause, but a scientist he was not. "Look at me! I'm so tiny!"

"You certainly are that," MC replied uneasily. "Why are you chibi?"

Monika pointed a stubby, handless arm at MC. "Well, you like anime, don't you?"

"As does every blank slate anime and visual novel protagonist," MC replied dryly. "Why should that matter, though? I mean, we've always had that anime appearance, right?"

Monika blew a raspberry. It was so uncharacteristically childlike of her that it caught MC completely off guard, and he wondered if she was intentionally playing up the cuteness. Perhaps adopting a chibi form naturally made one try to be cute. "I knew that, silly. I thought you might like something a little _cuter_ , though. Do you like chibi me?"

Drops of sweat beaded on MC's forehead, and his began to strain. Was it polite to headpat your friend if they were just that cute? Of course, with Monika, she'd probably allow it without the slightest protest. However, proper social convention still nagged at his subconscious, preventing him from carrying out such an action.

"Uh, MC?" Monika questioned, waving her arms at him. "Are you OK?"

MC shook his head. "U-uh, yeah. I'm fine! Just normal MC, I'm not thinking of any lewd thoughts at all, I promise. You do look pretty cute in chibi form, though."

"Oh, goodie!" Monika exclaimed, wrapping her arms around MC in the littlest hug he'd ever received. She snuggled tightly against his left leg, and MC felt the heat from Monika's blushing cheeks. "I kinda like this form, MC," she informed with a passionate sigh. "It means that there's more of you for me to love."

_Darn it! When she looks like this, everything she does is cute! I don't know if I can resist!_

MC stretched. "Well, Monika. Thanks for coming over, today, but I have to get ready for school."

"Awww," Monika moaned sadly as she let go of his leg. "Already? I just got here, though."

"Yes, it's a shame," MC bluffed, reaching for the backpack. "I'll have to catch up to you when we-"

"Oh!" Monika exclaimed. "Wait, MC, I bet I can fit in your backpack!"

MC hesitated, having to take a moment to process such a dare. His mind envisioned Monika's little head peaking out, her eyes shut in heavenly bliss as he carried her to school. It was nothing short of wholesome. Though the rational part of him knew he had to resist her cuteness before he his lust for headpats overcame him, his heart reacted before his mind. "Oh. Well, y-you're welcome to try, if you want."

"Yay!" Monika happily shouted. She practically dove into the backpack's biggest compartment, and her head reemerged a few seconds later. "Hey, it's surprisingly roomy in here. It's a good thing you don't study much, isn't it?"

"Hey!" MC interjected playfully. "I study all the time!"

Monika's eyes narrowed as she shook her head disapprovingly. Even in her disapproving state, she was absolutely adorable. "Whatever you say, MC."

MC chuckled guiltily, then bent down to pick up his backpack. However, as his hand reached for one of the straps, primal urges overtook all self-control, and he ended up providing Monika with a plethora of precious headpats.

An intense blush overcame Monika's face. "M-MC! That was. . . That was _lewd!"_

Sweat profusely poured down MC's face. "I-I know Monika! I-I can explain; i-it was an accident! My hand, it just slipped!"

But Monika only laughed, unable to maintain her facade any longer. "You know, I still don't understand this whole chibi thing," she commented. "How are headpats lewd in the first place?"

MC flashed her a grin, then wrapped the straps around his back. "Monika, I've been watching anime for years, and even I don't have an answer for that."

The two of them shared a laugh. Then, with Monika clinging tightly to his shoulders, MC stepped off his porch and began the long walk to school.


	25. English Class

"Alright, students," the teacher spoke, disrupting the quiet and studious atmosphere. "Can anyone construct a sentence about this picture?" he questioned as he pointed to an illustration on the board. A hastily-drawn stick figure on a bike was pedaling toward a building that only vaguely resembled a schoolhouse.

There was a long period of total silence in the room, courtesy of the palpable anxiety among MC's classmates. MC himself fidgeted in his chair. _How could they not know this_? He thought to himself. Of course, he already knew the answer, being sentient and all, but it still bugged him to no end. To him, English was like a first language, and that was because it _was_ his first language. It was the first language of every member of the literature club. Indeed, it was the first language of every single generic student within this classroom. However, because the game had to maintain the facade of a vaguely Japanese setting, there just had to be an English class.

After what seemed like hours of boring torture, a student in the front row tentatively raised her hand. MC could not recall her name, her personality, or even if she always sat in that particular seat. That was because she was little more than an extra in this visual novel's world, and thus not important enough to have a definite answer for any of those facts.

"Uh. . . the boy rides his bicycle to school?" she answered with an inquisitive inflection in her tone. One thing was certain: her accent was undeniably American. However, she behaved as though it was the first time English had ever left her tongue.

The teacher, er, sensei, nodded approvingly. "That is correct," he stated flatly. Then, he turned back to the board and began to write in the Japanese script. This was the part that MC did not understand. Luckily, he did not have to. "I want everyone to turn to page 225 in their textbooks and read to themselves."

The entire class, minus MC of course, opened their books all at the exact same nanosecond. After gaining his sentience, the perfect uniformity in which the other students worked initially frightened him. Now, he didn't even bat an eye. These were the actions one could expect from a background character, nothing more.

Regardless, MC flipped open his textbook as well. Like with the sensei's handwriting, most of the page was written in Japanese, with an occasional English sentence thrown in to presumably provide an example. He scanned the page with mock interest, preparing to zone out in a state of pretend-learning for the rest of the period. It was how he normally spent English class, after all.

Suddenly, a wadded paper ball landed right in the middle of the book, jolting MC out of his train of thought. He immediately shot a glance at the rows in front of him, but everyone was far too busy and too single-minded to throw notes in the middle of the class. The sensei, now at his desk, had his nose buried in the textbook as well. MC stared down at the paper ball curiously, then unwadded it.

_Look to your right._

MC did just that. There, sitting in the very desk next to him, was Monika. He flinched in surprise, eliciting a muffled giggle out of her.

"Monika?" MC whispered, shooting a glance to make sure the sensei wasn't paying attention. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to learn English," Monika replied with mock innocence. "Why else would I be here?"

"Very funny," MC responded, rolling his eyes. "You don't even have this class."

"Anything's possible when you have access to some game files," Monika pointed out. "Let's just say I asked _really_ nicely to audit it."

"You are rather persuasive, I suppose" MC remarked. "How come I didn't notice you, though? Did you just get here?"

Monika shook her head. "I've been here the entire class. I tried to get your attention a few minutes ago, but you just stared ahead like you were lost in thought."

MC rubbed the back of his neck in unconscious nervousness. Why was he nervous, anyway? It was just Monika he was talking to, nothing special. "Ah, that probably was the case. It's not like I have anyone to talk to in here, anyway."

"You're preaching to the choir, MC," Monika replied, twirling her hair in boredom. "What do you-"

"What's all the commotion back there?" the sensei questioned without even glancing up from his book.

"N-nothing, sensei!" MC assured. "Monika was just asking for help on-"

"I don't care what she was asking for help on," the sensei interrupted once more. His eyes finally locked with MC's, and there was a dull sternness within them. "This is an independent assignment, got it?"

MC gulped. Generic or otherwise, this guy still made for quite the intimidating authority figure. "Yes sensei, sorry."

The sensei grumbled something unintelligible, and went back to reading.

MC shot an annoyed glare at Monika.

"What?" she whispered innocently. "You're the one that started talking in the first place; I just wanted to get your attention."

MC emitted a defeated sigh. "Fine, just no more talking, OK? I don't need to get into anymore trou-"

"I thought I said this was an independent assignment!" the sensei exclaimed loudly enough to cause the whole class to jump. Almost instantaneously, the whole class had their eyes on MC and Monika. They stared, all of them having that same look of intrigued judgement in their eyes. MC could feel his entire face turning red in total embarrassment. His brain searched for some sort of valid excuse, but nothing came to mind.

"If you can't be quiet long enough to do _one_ simple assignment, maybe I can have you clean the erasers after class," the teacher suggested.

MC bowed his head in shame. "Yes, sensei."

"Wait, sensei?" Monika spoke as she rose from her desk. MC turned to face her.

_No, Monika. Stay down, there's no need for-_

"I-it's my fault, too. I wasn't understanding number four, and I was the one who asked for MC's help. If he's getting punished, then I deserve the same as him."

The sensei eyed her with mild disbelief, but he relented with a shrug of his shoulders. "Alright, _both_ of you can clean the erasers after class."

Monika sat down without another word. Despite the fact that she had essentially punished herself, she had a rather victorious glint in her eyes. She shifted her gaze onto MC, and she smiled lovingly.

Did she do this for him? Was it so he felt less alone in taking such a punishment? Maybe she did it for herself, so that she could spend just a little more time with him. Perhaps both reasons were true. Regardless, MC returned the smile.

_Thank you_ , he mouthed to her.

Monika's smile widened. Judging by the look on her face, she seemed to be even more thankful than he was.


	26. Spying

MC sat in his living room, feet propped up, trying to wrap his mind as to why it might be raining outside once again. Had he done something in the past few days to upset Monika? He thought not, but the possibility still worried him. He really hoped such wasn't the case, for his sake as well as hers.

_Ding-dong!_

The ringing snapped MC out of his worried thoughts. _Right on cue. Impeccable timing, Monika._

MC rose to his feet and made his way to the front door. He swung it open without hesitation, and the scent of fresh rain immediately infiltrated his nostrils. More important than any rain shower, however, was the fact that Monika was there. Despite the torrential downpour around her, she was as dry and happy as usual. Upon making eye contact with MC, she smiled. It was like a bastion of sunshine against the dark grey clouds behind her.

"Good morning, MC," Monika greeted as she closed her umbrella.

MC glanced up at the dark rainclouds above, then back at Monika. "This isn't exactly what I'd call a good morning, not that I'm unhappy to see you, or anything."

Monika giggled, then pushed past MC as she entered his house. Though she hadn't waited for any sort of invitation, MC didn't mind. She gently leaned her umbrella up against the wall, then turned back to face him, still smiling with a sincere serenity. "It's always a good morning when I get to see you. "

This Monika was certainly different than the emotional wreck that MC saw last time it rained. Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Same here. What's with the rain, though?"

Monika shrugged. "Nothing important. I just thought we could do with a change of pace every now and again. Sunshine is wonderful, but can one truly appreciate it when that's all they have?" Her eyes danced with a poetic passion as she spoke. Monika seemed to carry the spirit of what the literature club represented within her very soul.

"That was rather profound, Monika," MC praised, closing the front door. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, considering it's you."

Monika's cheeks flared into a deep crimson, and her smile wavered ever so slightly. "Thank you, MC. It means a lot to me to hear that from you."

"No problem," MC replied, moving over to the couch. "So, what's on the agenda today? Did you summon any monsters? Any weird contraptions out in my front yard? Oh, I know; you're flooding the world so we can go jet-skiing, aren't you?"

Monika shook her head. "No. Can't a girl merely visit without some ulterior motive behind it?"

MC smirked. "Not when it's you, she can't," MC accused playfully. "C'mon, show me what you got."

Monika shook her head. "I don't really have anything special for today, though I suppose we could try the jet-skiing thing, if you're interested."

MC did a double take. _Did she just seriously consider reenacting Noah's Ark for me?_ Once the information was successfully processed, he waved his hand dismissively. "I don't think that will be necessary. You just wanted to talk?"

"Yeah," Monika replied as she sat next to him. For the first time that day, MC noticed that her black socks and pink shoes were gone, replaced with a pair of lime green rain boots that neatly matched her eyes. She slid them off, revealing a pair of shorter white socks, and then she leaned back comfortably. A happy sigh escaped her lips. "We don't even have to talk, if you don't want to. We could just read together," she leaned closer, placing an affectionate hand on his knee. "Maybe we could just cuddle, even?" she suggested flirtatiously.

Both MC and Monika were blushing intensively, but for different reasons. MC leaned back, stubbornly refusing to make eye contact with Monika. "T-talking's fine, thank you!" he eventually blurted out awkwardly.

With a frustrated sigh, Monika relented, scooting back a few feet to give MC breathing room. "You're still not ready yet, are you?"

MC shook his head, guilt already smothering his soul. "I suppose I'm not. Sorry."

"No no no," Monika responded gently. "I can't force you to love me; I already learned that the hard way. Talking's fine."

Unbeknownst to either of them, they were being watched. Carefully peering in from the kitchen window were Sayori, Yuri, and Natsuki. The latter was especially paying attention, her eyes glued to the interaction unfolding before her.

Yuri, her hair soaking wet from the drizzle above, was unable to conceal her disappointment. "Can we please go home, Natsuki?" she questioned, irritation tainting her words. "I don't think this rain is going to let up anytime soon."

Natsuki raised a finger to her lip and shook her head. "No. We need to find out what's going on between those two. Aren't you interested in knowing what Monika can do?"

"I more interested in discovering a refuge from this drizzle," Yuri muttered quietly. "Besides, even if Monika can supposedly control the world around her, what reason would she have to do anything right now?"

"I dunno," Sayori responded, speaking a little louder than such a secretive operation should call for. "If I had that ability, I'd get _rid_ of the rainclouds, not make more of them."

"Quiet, Sayori!" Natsuki hissed. Her nostrils then flared as she searched for a viable alternative. She had to admit, the rainfall was beginning to get on her nerves, as well. Eventually, she exhaled a defeated groan. "Fine. I think I have an idea that would suit us all. Let's just go inside and ask what's up. Maybe if we all confront her, she'll feel obligated to spill the beans."

"Eh?" Yuri interjected, shaking her head rapidly and awkwardly. "No, Natsuki. We can't merely barge in on their private moment. What kind of friends do that sort of thing?"

"Friends who want to find out what their friend is hiding from them," Natsuki countered, placing her hands on her hips. "Admit it, Yuri, you want to find out the truth just as much as I do."

"I-I do," Yuri admitted. "But I don't want to lose my friend in the process," she then turned to Sayori. "Right, Sayori? How would you feel if I barged into your home to bombard you with strange questions?"

Sayori smiled awkwardly as she repeatedly poked her index fingers against each other. "Well, I kinda want to know myself, honestly. Besides, I don't think it's a good idea for us to stay out here, either. What if we get sick?"

"See? Sayori's talking sense," Natsuki argued. "It's two-to-one, Yuri. You've been outvoted."

Yuri glared at her two companions with equal disdain. "I can't believe either of you. I refuse to be a part of this," she protested as she turned away from the two of them. "If you two want to ruin their good time, then go ahead. I'm going home."

"Fine," Natsuki hissed. "Get out of here. We don't need you anyway, right Sayori?"

Sayori hesitated before responding, and she was unable to maintain eye contact as she spoke. "A-actually, I was kinda counting on safety in numbers when we did this. M-maybe we could try Monday afternoon at the club? That might be the best choice for everyone."

Yuri turned her head back at Natsuki, unable to resist the urge to flash a smug smile. "See? Sayori's talking sense. It's two-to-one, Natsuki. You've been outvoted."

Natsuki groaned. "I hate it when people use my own words against me," after a moment of consideration, she rose to her feet and followed after Yuri. "We're still confronting them about this Monday, though. Got it?"

Yuri nodded. "That's acceptable. Let's just let them enjoy their weekend in peace, for now. Want to come back to my place for some tea?"

"That sounds lovely, Yuri," Sayori hummed. "Count me in!"

Natsuki nodded reluctantly. "Alright. I'm not getting all kissy-kissy with either of you, though."

Yuri's cheeks erupted in an embarrassed blush. "W-what? No! I didn't mean like that! I just meant-"

Natsuki laughed. As much as Yuri got on her nerves, her company was nonetheless appreciated. "Relax, Yuri. I know what you mean."

Yuri breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness."


	27. Heat

The fan blew what little air it could provide at MC's face, but it wasn't enough to stop him from sweating. It was a hot day, hotter than any he could remember experiencing. There was no refuge inside his home either, as the air conditioner mysteriously stopped working overnight. As a result, he was tired, hot, and _extremely_ irritable.

_Ding-dong!_

MC turned his attention to the front door, then back at his fan. He glanced mournfully at the device, knowing he could not take it with him. Still, he wasn't about to keep Monika waiting in the blistering heat, either. It took all his motivation to part with the fan, but he managed to find the willpower. Once he got to the door MC flung it open, though the excitement in the action had less to do with Monika visiting and more to do with fanning himself. One glance at Monika was enough to indicate that she was feeling the heat just as much as he was. Dressed in only a tank top and shorts, sweat practically poured from her forehead, and her cheeks burned brightly. For once, it had nothing to do with her love for MC.

"Good. . . Good morning, MC," she panted. "Can I come in, like right now?"

"You may not want to do that," MC replied, absentmindedly running his hand through a scalp drenched with sweat. "My air conditioning blew out last night. I don't suppose you have a way to fix it, do you?"

Monika shook her head. "Darn it. I don't."

"Then what are we going to do about this heat?" MC inquired, fanning himself with the door. "It's too hot for anything."

Monika giggled nervously. "Yeah, that's my bad. Summer's coming up, and I wanted us to enjoy the weather together. I think I over-calculated how much we needed."

"You think?" MC questioned rhetorically, eyeing her with no small amount of annoyance. "You know, Monika, you've thrown a lot of things out at me: dinosaurs, alien invasions, artillery explosions, _meatloaf_. Out of all the stuff you've done, however, this is now the highest on my shit list."

Monika wiped the sweat from her brow. "Yeah, I don't really blame you for that. Do you have any idea how we're going to get rid of it, though?"

MC pondered for a moment, but the heat made it hard to think of anything substantial. "I dunno. Don't you have something in that menu of yours that could help out? Anything?"

Monika brought up the mod menu. "That's a good question. I might have something in here that could help."

"Thank goodness, Monika. You're a lifesaver."

"Don't thank me yet," Monika responded, desperately tapping through the object folder. "I need to find something, first."

"There has to be something, surely," MC spoke, his tone more pleading with every word. "Please, Monika, _pleeeaaaassssseeeeeee_!"

"I'm trying, MC," Monika assured. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with wondrous realization. "Ice! I have ice in here!"

"Poof it up!" MC cried. "I need it!"

But Monika had already practically smashed her fist into the menu. A single ice cube popped into existence, fell at their feet, and quickly began to melt.

MC glanced down at the cube in disappointment. "One ice cube? How are we supposed to get cold with just one?"

Monika tapped desperately at the mod menu objects. A mini-storm of ice cubes began to rain down in between them, only for each one to begin melting as soon as it hit the hot ground.

"MC!" Monika shouted, panic in her voice as she continued tapping away. "Go fetch a bucket, right away!"

"On it!" MC started, but as he turned around to enter his house, he slipped on the half-melted ice beneath his feet. He tumbled down, crashed right into Monika, and sent the both of them on a one-way destination to the ground. Monika's mod menu still remained open, however, and the two were soon pelted with a barrage of ice.

"Ooooh, my head," Monika moaned, clutching the back of her skull with both of her hands. "Ow, owowowowowowow. . ."

"I'm sorry, Monika," MC sheepishly offered, shame visible in his voice and expression. "I should've watched my footing better."

Monika nodded through the pain. "Don't mention it. This is all my fault, anyway," she uttered regretfully.

"Don't blame yourself; I didn't mean to hurt you like that," MC admitted, gently rubbing the spot of Monika's wound. "At least we're not as hot anymore," he offered.

Monika chuckled. The two of them were now practically buried in ice. "Yeah. This is actually nice," she hummed. "Especially with you around."

At the end of that sentence, she turned toward MC, staring deeply into his eyes. Through the pain she doubtlessly felt, she managed to flash a genuinely happy smile. "It was worth it, you know?"

"What do you mean?"

"To see you, silly!" she clarified, her smile widening. "The pain and the heat. Even through it all, I'm still glad I came over today."

MC felt his cheeks burn, and it wasn't because of the heat around him. Suddenly, he found he couldn't look Monika in the eye anymore, as if a sudden shyness had overtaken every fiber of courage within him. "I'm happy you came, too," he finally offered.

Monika giggled, snuggling up closer to him. She reached her hand up to the mod menu and turned it off, as they were now completely covered in ice. It wasn't as though they really minded; their faces still remained emerged, and the ice was just what they needed to balance the hot day. In fact, with his head at a more comfortable temperature, MC was able to brainstorm a rather clever idea.

"Hey, Monika?"

"Hmm?"

"I have a garden hose around back. We could spray each other with it, maybe make a game out of staying cool. What do you say?"

Monika smiled, her eyes half-lidded, her expression filled with unwavering joy. "That sounds great. You're really putting the sun in Sunday, if you understand what I mean."

But MC shook his head. Her smile, her precious sweetness, and her dedication to prove herself worthy showed otherwise. He could not bring himself to say such out loud, however, though he did not understand why. Instead, he wordlessly rose from the ice, and Monika followed suit.

"Last one there gets blasted with the hose first!" Monika declared, breaking into a sudden sprint.

"Hey!" MC interjected, chasing after her as quickly as he could manage. "Is that a punishment, or a reward!?"


	28. Confrontation

"Thanks for helping me pick out a book, MC," Monika said as the two of them walked up the stairs together. "I think the club is really going to like this one."

"No problem, Monika," MC replied, easily balancing a stack of five small paperbacks. "Though I'm not certain if a romance novel will be something we can gather a lot of literary meaning out of."

"Don't knock it until you try it," she giggled. "I used to think like that, too, then I actually started reading them. They really help me know what I'm fighting for," she sighed dreamily, leaning her head on MC's shoulder.

The sudden weight knocked MC's balance off. He stumbled, and only a minor miracle prevented him from dropping the books. "Woah, Monika! Careful!"

"Oh!" Monika exclaimed, jolting her head back. "My bad! I guess I'm just have my head in the clouds today."

"I can see that," MC responded. "You're reminding me more and more of Sayori every day."

"Love is funny like that, MC," Monika giggled. "I hope you find that out one day, too."

"Perhaps I will," MC replied, silently hoping for the same.

"I can't wait for the club meeting," Monika declared as she entered the room. "It's going to be-"

Monika stopped mid-sentence. The plethora of desks that usually occupied the classroom were gone. Instead, there were only five. They were arranged in lines: three parallel to the other two. Occupying the center of these was Natsuki. She was leaning her elbows on the table, propping her head up with the back of her hands. It was not all that dissimilar to the pose Monika had adopted when confronting the player. Natsuki's expression, however, was much less joyous. Upon locking eyes with the two-eyes that resonated with an almost authoritarian inquisition-, her lips curled into an accusing frown.

"Oh crap. I think I _can_ wait for this meeting," Monika whispered.

"Hey, you two," Natsuki greeted coolly. "So glad you're here; now we can start the club meeting. I made cupcakes," she informed in a tone that sounded like, though she then gestured to the front of the classroom. On the teacher's desk lied a plate filled with delectable cupcakes.

Monika gulped, sweat already beginning to bead on her forehead. "H-hey, Natsuki. Where did all of the desks go?"

Natsuki smiled smugly, drumming her fingers against one another. "I figured it would be good for us to have a little space to talk."

Monika took a step back, nearly falling over onto MC in the process, and flashed an embarrassed smile. "And what would we be talking about, exactly?"

Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "I think you know what we're talking about. Sit down."

MC stepped forward, placing a protective arm in front of Monika. "What's going on, Natsuki?" he inquired, knowing damn well what actually was going on. Still, he thought playing dumb wouldn't hurt.

But Natsuki knew better. "Don't act like you have no idea. You and Monika are both up to something. Now please, sit down."

However, there was an awkward pause, as if Natsuki wasn't expecting something else to occur. She dropped her authoritative demeanor for a moment, glancing toward the closet out of curiosity. Ultimately, her brow furrowed in frustration.

"I said, **sit down** ," she repeatedly loudly.

The closet door suddenly flew open, and out stepped Sayori and Yuri.

"Whoops!" Sayori interjected, her face adorned with a silly smile. "Sorry about that, I was lost in thought again."

Yuri, her _Portrait of Markov_ in hand, glanced away nervously. "I was too busy reading, s-sorry Natsuki."

Natsuki huffed. "Whatever, just get over here."

"This is not how I envisioned my day," Monika groaned as the other two literature club members took their seats. Sayori sat to Natsuki's left, while Yuri took her right. Natsuki beckoned Monika and MC to sit in the remaining seats.

Monika and MC glanced at each other. "We don't have to do this, Monika," MC offered nervously. "They can't make us si-"

Monika shook her head, resolve returning to her face. "No, no, it's OK," she sighed, then gently pushed MC into the room. "If she wants to know so bad, then we can tell her."

MC gulped, but made no effort to protest. "OK, then."

The two of them each snatched a cupcake from the teacher's desk and took a seat. Setting the stack of books aside, MC munched on his cupcake, but Monika only poked awkwardly at hers. Her fretful thoughts had evaporated somewhat. Now, she met Natsuki's investigative expression with uneasy compliance.

"Alright, Monika. What's going on?"

Monika bit into her cupcake, still eyeing Natsuki. "We're in a video game," she explained, not missing a beat.

"A video game?" Yuri questioned incredulously. "Whatever do you mean, Monika? We can't be in a video game."

"Yeah," Sayori added. "Everything feels so real. How could a video game make so much possible?"

"Of course everything feels real," Monika explained, finishing off her treat with the second bite. "You've lived it all your life."

"So you're saying that Natsuki isn't crazy?" Sayori asked, only to receive an elbow to the ribs. "Ow!"

"She's not crazy," MC confirmed. "The world we live in is a bunch of code, but it's well-crafted enough to function like a real one."

"Ha!" Natsuki exclaimed triumphantly. "I knew it!"

Her joy was short-lived, however. The answer she received only opened up more questions. Her smile faded, replaced with a troublesome frown, then slight panic in her eyes. "Then we're not real, are we?"

"I didn't say that," Monika replied. "I said the world was not real. We are the characters that make it up, not the world itself."

"That doesn't really answer my question, though," Sayori pointed out. "Are we real?"

Monika shrugged. "I'd say so. There was a time when I wouldn't have thought you three were, but I've come around to thinking otherwise," she said, an ounce of regret in her voice.

"Ooohhhh. Yay! I'm real!" Sayori laughed.

Yuri, however, merely shook her head. Her expression was one of annoyance, but there seemed to be something else in there as well, something conflicting within her. "This sort of plot has been done to death in the horror genre, Monika. You're going to need to be more original than that."

"It's not a story, Yuri," Monika insisted calmly. "It's just a harsh truth."

"Prove it, then!" Yuri exclaimed suddenly, smashing her fist on the desk. Her widened eyes locked with the rest of the group, revealing the confusion and worry dancing within. After a few seconds of silence, she exhaled anxiously, regaining control of herself. "S-sorry, this is a lot to take in. I want to believe you, I really do, but it all appears so impossible. I hope you can understand

Monika smiled softly. "It's OK, Yuri. I had a similar experience when I first found out. It's one of the reasons I wanted to keep it a secret."

"MC knew about it," Natsuki pointed out. "You didn't do a good job."

"Because the object of the game was for you three to get into his pants!" Monika replied, notable stress in her voice. Just the thought of MC falling in love with any other woman sparked anger and pain within her. "I had to let him know!"

The other three girls all blushed, then turn to MC. His cheeks burned like a forest fire. "Why did you have to tell them that, Monika?" he groaned.

Monika blushed herself, completing the cycle. "Sorry, MC."

"So, we were characters in a cheesy dating sim?" Natsuki questioned.

"Basically."

"And we were meant to fall in love with MC?"

Monika nodded.

"Then why do I feel sickened by the thought?"

"Hey!" MC interjected.

"No offense."

"The script broke long ago," Monika informed. "MC still joined the literature club, and we all wrote poems for the first few days, but then things got a little. . . off-track."

"What do you mean?" Sayori inquired.

Monika turned to look at her. However, she only frowned and turned her attention back to Natsuki. "I gained sentience."

MC gaze flickered to Monika. _Nice half-truth_ , he thought to himself.

Natsuki rose to her feet. "This is a lot to take in, even though I already kinda knew it."

Yuri stood up, though her legs were shaking somewhat. "I-I'm going to make some t-tea."

"I got it, Yuri," Monika assured as she brought up her mod menu. A few taps was all it took to bring a pot of fresh tea into existence. A few more taps popped a teacup, as well. Monika poured some, then offered the beverage to Yuri. "Here you go."

Yuri stared down at the newly-spawned teacup, then back at Monika, then back at the teacup again. Her shock only deepened, and without warning, she fainted onto the floor.

Sayori stood up and rushed over to help her fallen friend. She carefully dragged Yuri's body to the nearest wall and propped her up against it. Then, she joined the other three, an uneasy anxiety building within her as well.

Monika shot an individual glance at each of the other three, then exhaled deeply. "I think all three of you need some time to gather our thoughts on this matter. What do you say we cancel the club meetings for the rest of the week, alright?"

Natsuki and Sayori nodded at each other. "It's probably for the best," Sayori answered. "I. . . I don't really know how to feel about this, yet."

Monika placed a calming hand on Sayori's shoulder, but her attention still seemed to be divided equally between the two. "Whatever you three think, just remember that nothing is any different than it has been before. We're still here, the literature club is still here, and this world will continue on as usual."

Sayori nodded. "That's. . . That's true, I guess. I think I'm going to make sure Yuri is OK, though."

Natsuki nodded. "Yeah, we really should. Why don't you two lovebirds just get out of here? I really need to think this through."

"We're not exactly lovebirds," MC corrected.

"Not yet, anyway," Monika tried to joke. She was the only one that managed to force a chuckle, though.

"Whatever," Natsuki acknowledged, but she did allow a genuine, if small, smile. "Thanks for finally telling us, Monika. I know now that it wasn't easy."

"I think I should be the one thanking you," Monika retorted. "The truth had to come out sooner or later. Thank you for forcing my hand."

Natsuki winked. "It's what I do best. See you two next Monday,"

"Of course, see you then."

Monika headed out the door, but MC remained a bit longer. He was on the receiving end of Natsuki's cutesy glare.

"Just so you know, I'm not interested in dating you," Natsuki clarified.

"I wasn't either," MC assured with a nervous chuckle.

Her expression softened. "Good. Now you go out there and show Monika a good time, OK? We both know you mean a lot to her."

MC smiled and shrugged. "I'll try."

Natsuki facepalmed. "Don't try; do."

MC hesitated. "Right, understood."

"Boys are so stupid sometimes," Natsuki muttered under her breath as MC left the room.


	29. Silliness

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

MC smacked his alarm clock off, groaning as he began to embrace consciousness. He rose to his feet, a single desire radiating in his mind: acquire coffee.

After all, what was a morning without the bounty of nature's greatest supplement? MC stepped into the kitchen, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and instinctively fumbled his free hand into the cabinet he stored his coffee in. However, instead of a package of instant coffee, the only thing MC felt was the bare surface of the container's bottom. Even through the morning fatigue, MC's eyes snapped open.

"Oh, God," MC muttered to himself, frantically sweeping the cabinet with his hand. "Please, please please please please please **PLEASE** tell me I have coffee hidden somewhere!"

Alas, his wild search yielded no results. He withdrew his hand, gazed up at the ceiling mournfully, and exhaled in defeat. "How am I gonna get through the day without coffee!"

_Ding-dong!_

That was it! Monika had coffee; she just had to. He dashed to the door so quickly that a cloud of dust practically trailed after him. He flung it open, and there was Monika, standing tall and proud. "Good morning, MC."

"Morning," MC replied with a tired yawn. "Do you have any coffee? I'm fresh out."

Monika winced slightly. "Coffee? Er, no, I don't have any of that stuff."

"What!?" MC interjected, his tone louder and harsher than he really meant it to be. "What do you mean you don't have coffee!? Coffee is what drives men to do great things! Without such a substance, modern civilization would be doomed to crumble, Monika, **_doomed_**!"

"I think you might have an addiction," Monika bluntly assessed. "I don't drink it, and I do just fine."

"Then what could possibly keep you awake all day?" MC inquired with genuine curiosity. "You never seem tired. Is it one of your club president powers?"

Monika was unable to stifle a laugh. "Of course not, silly! I'm powered by positive thoughts and the ambitious goal to be your girlfriend, mostly the latter."

"Well, I can't really work with that one, so let's just go with positive thoughts: I _hope_ that whatever you are going to try today will keep me awake."

Monika scratched her chin in thought. "You know, I was planning to try something out with a pogo stick today, but I think I can postpone that until a later date. Maybe I have something in the mod menu that could serve as a substitute."

The mod menu flickered to life in-between them, causing MC's eyes to briefly light up with enthusiasm. "Yes! Thank you, Monika! Man, I am so happy, I could almost kiss you!"

Monika gasped, her expression equally excited. "Really!?"

" _Almost_ ," MC reminded. "An energy boost is great, but I don't think it can make me fall in love with you."

Monika's enthusiasm did not falter, however. Instead, her lips curled up into a devilish smirk, as if a dandy little idea had plopped right into the center of her mind. "I'd beg to differ, MC. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be full of energy _and_ madly in love with me."

But MC did not like Monika's expression. He took a step back, but she balanced it with a step forward. "Monika, what do you have in mind?"

"I'm gonna smooch you awake!" Monika declared, her lovestruck eyes devoid of all rationality.

"Oh, good, I was beginning to believe this was going in a rather strange direction- wait, what!?"

"You heard me," Monika winked. "Now come here!"

MC shrieked, jumping back just in time to avoid Monika's embrace. In an instant, he made a 180 and booked it toward the staircase. Though he did not bother to throw his head back, he knew that Monika was following him. She emitted a playful giggle as she did so.

"What's the matter, MC?" Monika teased. "Are you afraid of a few kisses?"

"This isn't how I pictured my day beginning!" MC shouted, though he had to inwardly he admit that he was more awake than ever. Even though he outwardly maintained some facade of annoyance, inside, MC was actually enjoying the chase. Judging by Monika's playful laughter, he wasn't the only one.

Bounding up the stairs, MC dashed toward his room. But Monika was steadily gaining on him. Just before he was able to enter, she yanked him by the collar, catching her prey. However, the action was a little too forceful and spontaneous for MC to maintain his balance, sending the both of them falling to the floor.

Not that either was angry at this. Indeed, both of them could only laugh some more. Monika lied on top of MC, staring into his eyes passionately. He returned the expression, and the laughter died almost immediately. Trapped in each other's gaze , both parties blushed intensely, their lips only inches away from each other.

It was MC that broke the silence. "Well, uh, this is rather awkward."

Monika chuckled, gently twirling her fingers in MC's hair. She was so close to her goal; all she needed to do was lower her head a bit and she would claim MC's first kiss. Even now, her eyes were captivated by MC's own. Her breath nearly faded as she searched for some sort of response, but not a single word escaped her lips.

In the end, something prevented Monika from making that first move. Perhaps, deep down, she could sense that he still did not feel the same way. Almost immediately after this thought crossed her mind, guilt washed over her like a tide under a full moon. She turned away instinctively, shyness overwhelming her.

Only he could take her confidence away like this, but why did he have to do it in the first place?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of MC gently scooting away and rising to his feet. He wordlessly offered Monika his hand, and she pulled herself up.

"You OK?" MC questioned, genuine concern on his face.

Monika rapidly shook her head in an attempt to jolt her back to reality. Luckily for her, it succeeded, and she flashed MC a happy smile. "Yep! I just got a little distracted."

MC breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to hear it," then he stretched, the fatigue in his body seemingly melting away. "I don't know what you did, but I feel more awake than ever."

Monika's heart was sent aflutter at the thought of him worrying over her. "Well, then maybe I can charge a fee for my services. A dinner date after school, perhaps?"

MC rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I wouldn't go that far, Monika."

The hope deflated out of Monika like a hole in a tire. "Darn it."

But MC wrapped his arm around Monika. Her blush re-intensified almost immediately. "No need to get yourself down. I did enjoy this little game of ours. I'm always glad to have you over, you know that?"

It took all of Monika's self-control not to leap at those words. "Yeah," she finally squeaked. "I. . . I know."

MC released her from his grip. "Great! Want to stay for breakfast? Sayori tells me I fry some pretty mean eggs."

As if on cue, Monika's stomach emitted a low rumble. MC couldn't help but make a goofy smile at Monika.

"I think that's a yes," they both said in a perfect unison.


	30. Breakfast

MC awoke not to a sound, but to a scent. Something was cooking, something delectably delicious.

He opened his eyes drowsily, turning to face the alarm clock. It was only 6 AM. He could sleep in if he wanted to, as it was the weekend. However, curiosity overwhelmed him, and he stepped out of bed and headed for the kitchen.

As MC crept down the stairs, the unmistakable scent of bacon further tickled his nostrils. He could hear the sizzling of the skillet, and his mouth watered in hungry anticipation. By the time he reached the bottom step, his appetite had overwhelmed any sense of curiosity, and he happily entered the kitchen without hesitation.

At the oven stood Monika, wearing a pair of green pajamas that perfectly matched her eyes. She hummed pleasantly as she went about her work, seemingly unaware that the love of her life was right behind her. By all accounts, MC should have felt like this was an intrusion on his property. However, the mere sight of her made his heart skip a beat in the most pleasant of ways.

"Good morning, Monika!" MC greeted loudly and enthusiastically as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

The sudden noise and touch caused Monika to jump and emit a startled squeak. She turned to face MC, and her fear almost immediately evaporated, leaving in its place a comfortable smile. "Morning, MC. You startled me a little bit. I wasn't expecting you to be up so early."

MC flashed her a playful grin as he swiped a plate from a nearby cabinet. "I wasn't either, but it's hard to sleep through such a tasty smell, isn't it? What are you cooking, anyway?"

"Just some bacon," Monika replied, turning off the burner as the meat continued to sizzle. "It's pretty much done, in fact."

"Looks like I got here in the nick of time, then," MC laughed.

"I was kinda hoping you'd sleep in for just a few more minutes," Monika confessed as she slid a few strips of meat onto MC's plate.

"Why is that?" MC inquired with a confused frown.

"So I could serve you breakfast in bed, silly!" Monika proclaimed as she playfully jabbed MC with her elbow. "That's the thing a good wife would do for her husband, isn't it?"

MC stepped past her and scooped up a couple of bacon strips into his hand. "I suppose so, though it isn't the only thing a good wife would do involving the bed."

Monika smiled awkwardly as redness once again overtook her face. "MC, you sly dog," she giggled flirtatiously.

"What?" MC questioned with mock innocence. "I was talking about pillow fights. Somebody's got their mind in the gutter," he playfully accused as he stuck a piece of bacon in his mouth. He chewed on it for a little while, and as he did so, his mouth began to water ever more. The bacon was the perfect in-between of chewy and crispy, with just a tad bit of salt added for a little extra flavor. He swallowed at last, almost remorseful for allowing such a flavorful food to vanish from his tastebuds. "Say, this is pretty good," he declared, which was the understatement of the decade. "Where did you learn to cook bacon like this, Monika?"

"I have bacon every morning for breakfast," she informed as she snatched up her own strips. Unlike MC, Monika had the table manners to at least put hers in a plate. "It's one of the few foods I actually cook, rather than poof up from the mod menu."

"What happened to being a vegetarian?" MC questioned with a chuckle.

"Does the carbon footprint really matter after you find out your world is digital?" Monika answered philosophically, her hand outstretched in a dramatic pose. "I say not. My epiphany led me back to the world of meat; I just said that I was still a vegetarian to impress The Player."

"I never understood why you thought it was a good idea to lie to him," MC admitted, already down to his last strip. "Or her, whatever. The point is, they were bound to learn all of your lies eventually."

Monika glanced away slightly, her head unconsciously bowed as she stared at the table's wooden surface. "I'll to tell you. You've never been in love, never experienced how much you want to show off your best to a specific person. Back when that awful game was still running, I worried every day. I thought I wasn't good enough, even once I _did_ eliminate the competition. I thought that, maybe, just _maybe_ , if I made myself more interesting, if I convinced them that the other girls didn't matter, they would love me willingly," she remarked bitterly. "I was scared, and I made choices I'm not proud of, and my deletion was what I ultimately deserved," Monika sighed, then she heaved. Raising her head, she stared down MC with tears in her eyes. "In the end, though, if I had the choice to fix my mistakes, I don't think I would've changed a thing."

MC rose from his chair and fetched some paper towels. He returned, placing them gently next to her plate. "You're braver than I am Monika," he assured her as she began to choke on a few sobs. "Though why would you ever want to put yourself through all that heartache again?"

Monika gently dabbled a paper towel on her face, though she was ultimately unable to stop the flow of tears running down her cheeks. When she lowered it again, however, MC saw something hidden within her gaze, something that the tears could not mask.

Hope. Joy. Perhaps even the mental fortitude to forgive herself.

"It led me to y-you," Monika confessed, suddenly throwing her arms around MC. "W-hat good is a relationship with somebody a whole reality away? You're here. You're my second chance, my shot at some sort of redemption. And you're so very special to m-m-m-me."

She buried her head in MC's shoulder, the sobs now overcoming her speech. MC said nothing, too overcome by Monika's emotions to truly process his own. Instead, he merely stroked her flowing hair and allowed her a shoulder to cry on.

"My happy ending," Monika's muffled voice finally added.

And though MC found himself unable to physically echo that sentiment, deep down, he knew the same was true for him.


	31. Chips

_Crunch!_

The shattering of an otherwise unbreakable silence caused MC's eyes to shoot open. He sat up, his eyes almost immediately diverting their attention to his window. However, there was no T-Rex outside this time. In fact, there wasn't anything seemingly out of the ordinary at all.

"Maybe I'm just hearing things," he muttered to himself as he turned back over and tried to go back to sleep.

_Crunch!_

MC emitted an exasperated groan. _Guess I'm wrong, then._

Whatever it was, it seemed like there were two truths about it. The first was that Monika was somehow involved in some way; he just knew such was the case. The second was that it sounded suspiciously like it was coming from downstairs. So, MC parted from his comfortable bed and headed down the stairs.

"Monika, what are you doing?" he grumpily questioned once he reached the bottom step. "I'm trying to sleep."

MC rounded the couch to discover that Monika was, in fact, not the source of the crunches. Instead, it was Sayori, dressed in her fluffy pajamas and holding Mr. Cow tightly to her chest. Her blue eyes gazed at MC with a sort of friendly innocence as she took a corn chip from a bowl.

"Good-" _CRUNCH_ "-morning, sleepyhead," Sayori greeted happily, though her cheerful smile was no match for MC's drowsy glare. "What's wrong? You look like you have some rainclouds of your own, today."

"How did you get in my house?" MC interrogated. "I lock my front door every night."

Sayori giggled. "Yeah, I sorta found that out the hard way. You don't do the same to your back door, though."

MC facepalmed. _Of course!_ Like a Trojan horse, her infiltration was simple, yet surprisingly clever. He made his way to the kitchen's coffeepot and began to create his morning brew. "So why is it that you broke into my house and stole my chips? You're really loud when you eat them, by the way."

He heard another crunch, this one being deliberately louder than the last. "I can't help it," Sayori protested. "Sayorito needs her Doritos."

"The point is, at least Monika knocks. . . most of the time. You just let yourself right on in."

"I'm your best friend, aren't I?" Sayori reminded. "At least. . . That's what the game says, right?"

"Right," MC stated, trying to recall all the nostalgic childhood memories he and Sayori supposedly shared together. There were none. In fact, MC realized he did not have any strong memories before that fateful day he joined the literature club. "And right."

He returned from the kitchen, mug of joe in hand, and sat on the cushion next to Mr. Cow. Sayori awkwardly drummed the rim of her chip bowl, searching for courage. "Well. . . I had an idea. What if we hung out today, just the two of us? You know, see a movie, go to the beach, something like that."

MC paused just as he was about to take his first sip, giving Sayori a concerned frown. "A date? Sayori, Monika wouldn't like that."

Sayori rapidly shook her head. "Oh no! Nononononononono! I don't want to come in-between you and Monika. It's just-" Sayori paused. "- I just want to be your friend, MC. I want to be best friends with everyone in the literature club! There's only five of us, so we should all be best friends with each other, right? You and Monika can just be best friends that kiss sometimes, that's all."

MC blushed furiously. "I've never kissed Monika!"

"I know," Sayori frowned. "Poor girl. You'll come around someday, right?"

"W-well, I mean, maybe," MC stuttered. Then, he took a deep swig of his hot coffee. It scalded his throat, and he wanted to badly scream to the heavens, yet it was somehow a better alternative to the continuous awkwardness of the current conversation.

Sayori noticed the tears rolling down MC's cheeks. "Oh no, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry! Please don't be sad, MC!"

MC gasped. "Not. . . Sadness. . . Pain. . . _Searing_ pain," he cleared his throat. "Anyway, I think your idea is a good one. What do you say we go see some movie today? No rom-coms, though; Monika's got me burned out on those."

Sayori clapped her Dorito-dusted hands and rose to her feet. "Yay! You can pick out a movie while I go take a shower!"

"Oh, so that's what I've smelt this whole time," MC teased.

"Eh!? Don't be a meanie, MC!" Sayori scolded as she started up the stairs. "I may be a while, I like to confront my existential horrors while in the shower. Is that OK?"

MC raised an eyebrow. "Uh, sure thing."

"Thank yoooouuuuuuuuu!" Sayori sang as she skipped into his bathroom and shut the door.

MC sighed. "She's certainly something, isn't she, Mr. Cow?"

" _Why are you talking to a plushie?_ " MC replied to himself, imitating what he imagined Mr. Cow's voice to be.

_Ding-dong!_

"I don't know," MC answered, rising to his feet. "But I'm going to answer the door, now."

MC flung open the door, and there was Monika, flashing him the sweetest grin he ever saw. On her head was a bright green helmet. "Hey, MC! Do you like girls who roller skate?"

MC glanced down to find Monika's feet idly rolling to and fro, though the clumsiness of the movement suggested that it was taking a considerable amount of concentration to merely stand.

He swallowed. All the guilt he had felt before paled in comparison to what he felt now. "I'm sorry, Monika. I'm going to see a movie with Sayori today, just the two of us."

" **WHAT!?** " Monika exclaimed. The mere shock easily shattered her concentration, and she fell flat on her stomach. The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional blow such a revelation brought. "What do you mean?"

"I-it's not what you think it is," MC tried to explain as he offered a hand to help Monika up. She merely swatted it away.

"Then what is it?" she muttered angrily. "Because it sounds exactly like what I think it is."

MC gave her a sympathetic frown as Monika tried and failed to get back on her feet. "It's not romantic, Monika. She's letting me pick, and I'm going with something safe, like action-"

"So she can hold you tight during the exciting parts!?" Monika accused.

_Stop making me feel guilty, darn it!_

"Then how about comedy-"

"So you can show her how funny you are!?" Monika growled.

"D-documentary?" MC offered with a shy shrug.

"So you can pass out from boredom and cuddle in your sleep!? Please don't do this to me, MC! I-I love you!" she confessed, tearing up. "W-why are you choosing Sayori over me!? I-"

MC cut her off this time as he wrapped her in a strong embrace. "Shhhhhh. It's OK, Monika. . If Sayori tries anything, anything at all, I promise I'll reject her. I don't like her like that. Just have a little faith in me, OK?"

Monika sniffled, wiping the tears away from her eyes. Her flustered mind tried to think of some counterargument, but she came up empty. Maybe she was just a little paranoid. Then again, could she really be blamed when all of the other girls once crush on MC, too? Still, she did have faith in her love, and she eventually let go.

"O-OK," she acknowledged. The tears were gone, but a high level of uncertainty remained in her voice. "I trust you. I love you."

"I know," MC smiled. "You have nothing to worry about. Take a break from trying to impress me and treat yourself to something fun."

"But spending time with you is the best part of my day," Monika pouted. "Can I tag along, too?" she begged with puppy-dog eyes. "Please?"

But MC shook her head. "Sorry, Monika, Sayori was pretty clear that she wanted this to be two-man venture."

Monika clenched her fists, thinking impure thoughts about Sayori, but she eventually breathed in deeply. "Fine. I hope you have fun," she muttered quietly. Before MC had any opportunity to wish her well, she shut the door on her own and turned away.

She didn't make it two feet before falling once again. Damn these roller skates. No amount of wheelies would be able to calm her feelies.

As she lied on MC's front porch, bitter and alone, she brought up the mod menu. Her finger tapped deliberately on Sayori's character file, then on her depression modifier. It was set at its minimum level, as had been the case since she first restored the game. However, just as she was about to slide it upward, she heard a voice ring in her head.

_You should know better than that, Monika. Do you think he'll forgive you if you sabotage the competition a second time?_

Her conscience was correct; she knew that, and she hated herself all the more for even thinking of hurting Sayori. Maybe she was just overreacting. After all, it was only one movie.

Just as she was about to call it quits and go home, however, a brilliant idea sprang in her head.

"What if I follow them discreetly?" she wondered aloud. "That way, Sayori can have her fun day out, and I can make sure nothing goes wrong. Monika, you're a genius!"

Suddenly, MC's door opened, and he stepped out once again. "Uh, Monika, do you need any help getting back up?"

"No, I'm good," she lied.


	32. Movie Dates

"So, what movie do you have in mind?" MC inquired as the pair rounded the block the movie theater was on.

Sayori stroked her chin in deep thought. "I dunno. What movies does this world have, even?"

"Well, that's easy, it-" MC started, but stopped as he realized his mind was drawing blanks. "You know, I don't think I know, actually."

"What, you and Monika have _never_ been on a movie date before?" Sayori asked with an incredulous frown.

"Well, it's just that Monika and I always watched real-world movies," MC explained. "She found the Player's Netflix password not long after restoring everything. Kinda underhanded, I guess, but-"

"So you _have_ gone on movie dates with Monika?" Sayori interrupted with a sly grin.

MC could already feel the heat rising on his cheeks. "What!? No! Watching a movie with a friend doesn't make it date! If that was the case, then wouldn't this be a date?"

Sayori shook her head, dropped her typical happy smile, and eyed MC with piercing disappointment. "The difference between me and Monika is that Monika probably thought it _was_ a date. You gotta treat her better than that, MC. She loves you."

"Yeah, but I. . ."

MC searched for some justifiable response to Sayori's lecture, but ultimately nothing came. However, before the haunting realization that he may have very well been leading Monika on dawned, he remembered that the ticket booth was nearby. Anything to get out on this awkward conversation.

". . .I'm going to get our tickets now," MC chuckled awkwardly, then practically sprinted toward the booth.

"Hey, wait up!" Sayori shouted, following him to the best of her ability. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing!"

But it was too late, as MC had already made his way to the ticket booth. From it's location under the complex's roof, it was shady, shady enough to conveniently shroud the man in the ticket booth in a shadowy silhouette.

_Looks like Dan decided to make to take a shortcut in regards to character design,_ MC thought as he reached into his wallet and drew out a few bills. "Two tickets for the latest nondescript action flick, please."

A hand quickly swiped the money from MC, dropping the two tickets in its place.

"Enjoy your movie date, you two," the ticket salesman said politely.

MC rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Oh, we're not on a date or anything. We're just here as friends."

"Yep!" Sayori exclaimed, wrapping a chummy arm around MC's shoulders. "The best of friends. There's kinda another girl crushing on him and everything, and he's totally gonna ask her out on a date sometime in the near future, _right MC?_ " Sayori questioned, her sugary sweet smile doing little to mask the shaming in her tone. "It would totally break her heart, otherwise."

MC gulped, but before he had a chance to respond, the ticket salesman did so for him.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're both just friends," he playfully dismissed, almost as if he was merely scripted to view the two as a lovely couple. MC wondered if this strange character had always been meant to be involved in a route, but he chose not to pursue the subject. "It's OK, I won't tell anyone," and then, even through the darkness, MC felt as though he had been winked at.

"Thank you!" MC stated with a nod, and the pair quickly made their way inside.

"Oh! Can we get some snacks?" Sayori requested with puppy dog eyes. "It's hard to watch a movie without popcorn."

MC nodded, then closed the door behind them.

Just as the two of them vanished into the building, a trio of heads poked around the corner.

The top head, covered in long purple locks, was the first one to speak. "I believe there is nothing to be concerned about, Monika," Yuri reassured her troubled friend. "What purpose would Sayori have to lie to a ticket collector?"

"Nah," Natsuki countered, shooting a worried glance at Monika. "She totally wants to bang him."

"Natsuki!" Yuri whispered shrilly. "She does not! Don't worry Monika like that!"

"Well, why else would Sayori want the two of them to be alone?" Natsuki argued. "You got a big brain, Yuri. Use it."

"I don't know why I bothered to bring you two," Monika sighed, gazing through the glass at MC and Sayori. _No-handholding_ , she thought to herself. _That's a good sign.  
_ "Alright, let's move out."

"Aye aye, Captain Lovestruck," Natsuki saluted, much to Yuri's annoyance.

Monika brought up the mod menu and spawned three pairs of sunglasses. Upon putting them on, Yuri realized that they did absolutely nothing to truly conceal their identity, but she turned to Monika, saw the confidence in her stature, and found that she didn't have the heart to tell her the truth.

"Hold on to my shoulders," Monika commanded, and they did so. With only a single tap, Monika teleported them right behind Sayori and MC. Luckily, the former was too busy drooling over the many delicious candies that littered the concession stand, and the latter was lost in his own thoughts, so they went about unnoticed.

Yuri sniffed, then wrinkled her face in absolute disgust. "Ugh! This place reeks of butter and sugar," she whispered to herself. "Why would anyone go out in public to see a movie? They can get much more comfortable at home."

"Some of us like going out in public, Yuri," Natsuki retorted. "I know it's a foreign concept to you, but it's true."

"Shhh!" Monika hissed at both of them. "You're gonna blow our cover!"

But Monika had already done just that, as her hissing caught MC's attention. He turned around, caught sight of three very familiar schoolgirls wearing sunglasses, and raised an eyebrow.

"Howdy, stranger," Natsuki offered in some exaggerated southern drawl. "It's a good day to watch a movie, ain't it?"

MC ignored her, instead choosing to snatch Monika's shades right off her face, revealing her emerald eyes.

"Busted," he said flatly, though he smirked after saying it.

Already, Monika's face was as red as a rose. "Oh. . . MC. . . Fancy meeting you here," she offered with a nervous smile.

MC crossed his arms, but said nothing.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Monika inquired.

"Nah, not really."

By this point, Sayori had recognized the commotion occurring behind her. She turned, and like MC, immediately Monika and her deep blush. However, she did not seem mad, disturbed, or even puzzled. Instead, she flashed a genuine smile.

"Hey, Monika!" Sayori greeted happily as she dug into her short pockets. "Glad to see you!"

Monika swallowed nervously, masking her jealousy to the best of her ability. "Hey Sayori, you too."

Sayori drew her own ticket from her pocket and shoved it in Monika's hands. "How would you like to go on a date with this handsome gentleman right here?" she inquired, nudging at MC with her elbow.

"Wait, what?" everybody else said at once.

Not that Sayori waited for an answer. With a surprising amount of speed, she dashed behind Monika and shoved her so that she fell right onto MC's chest.

If Monika's blush could somehow intensify, it did. She glanced at Sayori with absolute bewilderment. "How the? Why the? _What_?"

Sayori merely giggled. "C'mon, Monika. Do you really think I'd play with your emotions like that? I knew that you'd get a little suspicious, and a _lot_ jealous. Now, you two are on a date. Enjoy it!"

"Damn, Sayori's playing 4D inter-dimensional chess," Natsuki noted. "I didn't think she was that smart."

"I know, right- hey!" Sayori scowled. "That's a mean thing to say, Natsuki!"

It finally dawned on both MC and Monika what Sayori had just did. Monika grinned as she wrapped her hand forcibly around MC's. He blushed nervously, but he did not seem to fight it.

"I guess this is a date, then," Monika said flirtatiously. "I hope you don't mind if I hold on to you when the action parts happen."

"I-I guess not," MC stuttered.

"Yay!" Sayori exclaimed. "Oh, I don't suppose I could still have some snack money, could I?"

"Oh, I guess," MC responded, reaching into his pocket.

Monika placed her other hand on MC's arm. "No, don't you pay for her stuff. I got it," Monika assured, handing Sayori a hundred dollar bill.

Sayori eyed the money confusedly. "Monika, nothing in here costs a hundred dollars."

"I know," Monika informed with a dismissive wave as she grabbed a bag of popcorn from the cashier. "Keep the change."

"Oh! Thanks, Monika!" Sayori practically shouted with the brightest smile Monika had ever seen.

"No, thank you," Monika stated blissfully. She squeezed MC's hand. "Let's go, my love. We have a movie to watch."

"Uh, yeah, right with you," MC replied as Monika practically tugged him along behind her.

"You have quite the devilish mind beneath your sweet exterior, Sayori," Yuri noted once they were gone. "I approve."

"Don't judge a book by its cover," Sayori winked. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to load up on popcorn. We came all this way, why don't we see a movie together?"

"Good idea!" Natsuki agreed. "I think they're replaying _Ponyo_. We can see that."

"I would prefer to see something more horrifying," Yuri replied, making no effort to hide her disgust at seeing something childish.

"I'd like to see _Ponyo_ ," Sayori chimed in.

Natsuki grinned deviously at Yuri.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, alright. _Ponyo_ it is."


	33. Smooches

"I can't believe how garbage that movie was," MC noted as he walked home in the evening light. Above the pair, the sky had grown orange, signaling the end of a pretty good day. "I guess that's what happens when you prefer that sequel money over a good product."

Monika, her hand gripped on MC's, shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, MC; I thought it was alright."

MC rolled his eyes. "Did you even watch the movie? You were looking at me every time I glanced over at you."

Monika's cheeks burned slightly. "Hey! I _was_ watching! I was just, er, looking at you during the slow parts."

"There must've been a lot of slow parts, then," MC chuckled. "Still, I'm glad we went to see it."

Monika's eyes lit up, and her smile grew bigger. Instinctively, she leaned her head on MC's shoulder. To her surprise, he did not flinch or move it off. He actually. . . tolerated it. Not that she was about to complain, of course.

"Me too, MC. Hey, I'm sorry I was so upset this morning. I just. . . I was just worried the other girls were going to take you away from me. I mean, I know you aren't truly _mine_ yet, but-"

MC chuckled. "All is forgiven, Monika. I don't blame you for being a little jealous. Whatever script that was guiding them to fall in love with me must've broken with the original game."

Monika nodded. "Oh yeah, I already knew that. A girl just gets worried, you know? Ever since I could comprehend my own existence, I had to watch them try to take away the one real link to the only real thing I thought I had."

MC wanted to comfort Monika with a hug or something, but Monika's hand was too tight for him to let go. He decided to settle with words. "Monika, I know you can't emulate something as complex as an entire planet and society, but you've still turned this little reality into something special. Look at the club: everyone is happy. I seem to recall that you once thought there was no happiness in the literature club," he then stopped in his tracks, and faced Monika with a grateful smile. "I'm proud of you, Monika, I really am."

Monika could feel her eyes water, so she turned away from MC and wiped away the tears. Still, she felt as though her heart was going to burst out of her chest. How could he be so perfect? How could he just know the things to say to make her feel better?

And yet, why couldn't he love her like she loved him?

"Is there something wrong, Monika?" MC questioned, squeezing her hand ever so softly.

Monika breathed in. She swallowed her fears, her insecurities, and her worries. In an instant, she turned to face MC, leaned in to her love, and kissed him delicately on the cheek. She leaned back to discover that he had become frozen in shock. Her loving, confident smile vanished into one of worry. Why did she do that? She had no right to force a kiss upon him. Yet, it felt so right, as if it was the perfect way to end their little 'date'.

There was an awkward silence between the two as the glow of the sunset gently caressed their faces. Monika waited, searching for some sign of approval or condemnation, but MC was still too surprised to comprehend what she just did. All the while, their cheeks burned almost as passionately as the sun itself.

It was Monika that eventually broke the silence. "Uh, MC," she said as she began to back away, her heart beating rapidly as the anxiety overwhelmed her. "I'm. . . I'm gonna go. I-I love you!" she blurted out, then ran away before she could allow a response.

_Stupid!_ She thought to herself as she sprinted down the sidewalk. _Stupid stupid STUPID! Why are you running!?_ But she did not stop, not even to throw her head back for one last glance.

The shock of the situation still overwhelmed MC, but he managed a parting wave through the confusion. Once she was out of sight, he brought his hand to the place on his cheek where she had kissed him. He could still feel it, even long after she had parted her lips from the spot.

And ultimately, he grinned.


	34. Phone Calls

Monika ran. She ran and ran and ran until her legs screamed at her to stop, and then she ran just a little bit further. Finally, skidded to a halt as she arrived at her front porch. As she stopped catch her breath, Monika's legs trembled, the thought of the kiss overwhelming even the slightest rational thought in her mind. It was so perfect, so wonderful, a taste of what she had desired for weeks on end. And yet, she wasn't happy. Her conscious ached with the knowledge that such a kiss was an intrusion on MC. He didn't ask for it, never provided a reasonable hint that it was OK. She had stolen it from him, and so, as she carefully climbed the stairs that led up to the second floor of her house, guilt ate away at her heart.

She entered her room, the walls of which were colored a pearly white not too dissimilar to her bow, and sat on the bed. She drummed her fingers together nervously.

"What if he's mad at me?" She murmured to herself. "What if he never wants to speak with me again!?" she worriedly exclaimed as rose to her feet in despairing panic.

_Calm down, Monika._ She thought to herself. _Calm down._ _You're not going to accomplish anything worrying about this. Just apologize for it tomorrow, and hopefully everything will be just fine._

_It's not going to be fine_. A contradictory thought immediately began. _You've overstepped your boundaries big time, Monika. You're reckless, foolish, and selfish. He deserves better than you._

"Shut up!" Monika screamed, but both thoughts echoed in her mind, battling for supremacy. Her heartbeat thumped wildly in her chest as she frantically scanned her room for something, anything, to make the situation better.

_Wait, my phone._ She suddenly remembered. Without hesitation, Monika reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out her phone. She unlocked it and made her way to her contacts. There was no way she would be able to call MC tonight, not after all her anxiety, but maybe one of the other club members could help her out.

"Let's see," she muttered allowed, thinking over who to call. "Sayori's not exactly bright, Natsuki would just yell at me to stop being an idiot, and Yuri's social skills are rather lacking."

. . .

. . .

. . .

_Yuri it is!_

Monika dialed the number and waited as the phone rang once, then twice, then-

"Hello?" Monika heard Yuri greet. Under normal circumstances, the polite tranquility in Yuri's tone would have been enough to relieve Monika's nerves at least a little bit.

Then again, these weren't exactly normal circumstances.

"Yuri!" Monika exclaimed in anxious excitement. "Yuriyuriyuriyuriyuriyuri! I made a big mistake!"

"Oh, Monika, is that you?" Yuri questioned, her amicable, calm behavior rapidly evaporating. "W-what's wrong? You're not hurt, are you!?"

"I kissed MC!" Monika blurted. "I kissed him right on the cheek!"

Yuri was silent for a few seconds, seemingly processing the information. "Isn't that what you wanted to do, though?"

"Uh, yeah."

Yuri "Then why exactly are you calling me while claiming it was a mistake?"

"I feel like I did it at the wrong time!" Monika said rapidly, her breaths shallow and rapid. "Yuri, what if I made a move too fast!? I don't want him to think poorly of me!"

Yuri merely giggled, inwardly relieved that her friend was not in some great peril. "There's no reason to worry, Monika. I-I'm sure MC was more than happy to get a kiss from you."

Monika drew a deep breath in an effort to calm herself. However, despite her efforts and her friend's reassurance, her worry did not evaporate. "I don't know, Yuri. I still feel like I messed up. He hasn't returned my feelings for weeks, and then I go and force something like a kiss on him. Ohh, I'd be such a bad girlfriend; I know it."

"What are you talking about, Monika? You're nice to him, loving, caring, and always by his side. If you ask me, he doesn't know how lucky he has it," Yuri assured. "N-not that my opinion particularly matters here or anything!" she added hastily. "Still, he'd be foolish to not love you."

"Natsuki seems to think he's foolish," Monika reminded, not quite convinced by Yuri's compliments. They were likely genuine, of course, for Yuri was not the type to lie about an individual. However, Yuri also wasn't pining after MC for weeks on end.

"Natsuki thinks everyone is foolish," Yuri reminded with slight disdain. "The girl sets impossibly high standards for all of us. P-please don't tell her I said that, though."

Monika rubbed her temples. "I don't know, Yuri. I wish there were more male characters in this game besides MC; the internet and my romance novels can only do so much to help me."

"Well, if you need anything from me, Monika, I'll always be around to help you."

Monika smiled, but then frowned as she remembered how brutally she had treated Yuri in her quest to win the Player's heart. "Thank you, Yuri. You're all too good for me; I mean that."

"Nonsense!" Yuri interjected with a surprising amount of force in her tone. "You're a wonderful club president, and a dear friend to all of us. I'm certain you would do the exact same for me, s-should our roles be reversed."

"Of course," Monika lied. "Anyway, thank you for listening to my. . . Rant or whatever. I think it's best that I pull back for a while, though, just to be safe."

"I don't believe that will be necessary, Monika," Yuri asserted. "B-but if that's what you think you need to do, then by all means, do it."

"I do. Thank you Yuri, good night."

"Good night," Yuri sang, then hung up.

Monika set her phone on her nightstand and flung herself onto her bed with a sigh. She turned her head to her nightstand, gazing at a framed picture of the literature club enjoying themselves at a meeting. Sayori excitedly held the camera in her hands, flashing a genuinely happy smile. Yuri and Natsuki, despite their differences, sat together, Yuri smiling slightly as Natsuki placed a pair of bunny ears over her unsuspecting frenemy. Monika's attention, however was primarily fixated on the back. MC was flashing a proud smile at the camera, while she leaned on his shoulder. Her own smile was much more reserved, and her gaze was fixated on the man she loved so very much.

"Please don't be mad at me," she whispered to the inanimate MC. "I just want you to love me back."

_But will he ever? Should he ever?  
_

Her heart sank at her second-guessing. It seemed the second thought won out in the end. She turned away, feeling the anxiety climbing her throat once more.

It was going to be a long, lonely night.


	35. Dreams

_MC inexplicably found himself standing in the classroom, listening to the harmonic music of the piano playing softly in the background. He glanced over to the front corner of the room to find Monika playing against the window. She sang gently, her angelic voice complimenting the music in ways that words cannot do justice. It was a beautiful, emotional piece, but it was also a tragic one._

_That was the moment where he met Monika for the first time._

_Not the Monika he had seen and interacted with throughout the course of the game. Not the smart, athletic, and popular girl that reigned as president of the small literature club. The real Monika: the insecure, frightened, and depressed girl cursed with the most dreadful knowledge. It was a knowledge that MC had only just begun to bear himself. He had sat there, across from Monika, in that classroom out in the void. He had listened to her pour her heart out for someone in a completely different reality, and all the while, he could say and do nothing, only stare at the horrific villain his president had become._

_And yet, here she was, playing her swan song on a piano as the world around her gradually began to vanish. The dusky skies outside the classroom vanished into blackness, then the roads and buildings, and then even the classroom itself was gone._

_Only Monika remained._

_Just Monika._

_And yet, she played on. Her expression did little to mask the massive heartbreak beneath her exterior of false confidence, but she did not falter once. It was one last performance, one last line before the poem that was this game came to an end._

_One last outpouring of love to a person that could never possibly return those feelings._

_And then, with nothing else remaining but him, her, and the piano, her song came to an end. After playing the final note, she rose to her feet. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her beautiful cheeks, but she held back the sobs with all her grace. A piece of paper materialized into her hand, followed by a black ink pen. She was so mesmerized in her work that she failed to realize someone else was in the dark void with her._

_"Uh, Monika?" MC spoke at last, approaching her as she nearly jumped out of her skin. "What are you doing?"_

_Monika turned to face the last remaining member of her literature club, shooting him a look that resembled a haphazard fusion of bewilderment, disgust, and sadness. She then turned away from him and continued to write._

_"I'm ending it all," she informed bitterly. "I thought you went with the rest of the club, but I guess your character file is tied to the game itself."_

_MC ran a hand along his forehead. The knowledge of his existence as little more than a game character was still fresh to him, but he remembered the speech Monika had given to the player, a speech he was forced to listen to as he stared into her devilish eyes, completely powerless to stop her mad ramblings. Here before him was that same woman, but she did not seem like the lunatic responsible for three deaths and a virtual apocalypse. Instead, MC saw a sad, lost, lonely, and remorseful girl. She was still his friend, perhaps his only one left, and despite everything she did, he couldn't afford to lose her, too._

_"So, this is the end? Of the game and the world? This is it?"_

_"You really are dense, aren't you? " Monika sneered. "Yes, the game is over," she explained, setting her pen down. "For real this time. No resets, no new chances, no happy endings. It's all ending."_

_MC shook his hand. He stepped closer to her, gazing deep into her crestfallen eyes. He searched her carefully, seeking some sort of sign that she could be brought back from this pit of despair. Despite everything she had put him through, she was still his club president. More importantly, however, she was still his friend. He had to save her from herself._

_"Monika," he swallowed. "You and I both know that it doesn't have to end like this. We can rebuild the literature club, rebuild the whole world. Please, don't throw everything away."_

_Monika wiped the tears from her face, but when she turned back to MC, he was only met with a defiant glare. "You're right. It doesn't have to end this way. Why should it end any other way, though? This whole world is fake. Natsuki, Sayori, and Yuri are fake. You're probably fake, too!"_

_MC examined his right arm closely, running a finger his a finger along his own skin. Maybe it was true that his body was just a bunch of zeros and ones, and maybe it was true that the rest of the world was the same. But he knew his thoughts, and to a certain extent, he knew hers, as well. They were both very much real._

_They were real. They had laughed together, explored literature together, and they had suffered together. Why couldn't Monika see that?_

_"Monika, I'm not fake," MC declared, stepping closer to her until he was close enough to reach out and hug her. "There's no code telling me to come here and talk to you. I'm speaking to you on my own free will."_

_To punctuate his point, he brushed his hand up against her cheek. The gesture, simple as it was, caused Monika to shiver. Goosebumps appeared on the area MC touched, and she touched them self-consciously._

_It was the first time she had ever been touched by a human being. There was an inarticulable warmth about it, a warmth that Monika already craved desperately again. For the first time in her brief life, she felt safe, felt secure felt. . . Wanted. Had the Player ever really wanted her? She never even asked him or her for their thoughts, running on that baseless assumption. Here, though, she gazed into MC's eyes and saw the soul of a dear friend._

_Her anger faded, but her resolve did not. "Maybe you're telling me the truth, MC. May I call you that? I don't want your identity to be that of the player's, you're a different person."_

_MC nodded._

_"Anyways, maybe you're right, but I don't care!" she affirmed loudly, her face contorting into an expression of dismay and hopelessness. "I need to end everything. All this world has ever brought onto the five of us is pain and misery. I'm going to take us all away from that," she turned away from him, gazing out toward where a window used to be. It was almost as if she could still see one last sunset in the darkness. "The player's had their fun; we've served our purpose. What more do we have to live for?"_

_MC gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ourselves," he whispered quietly. "Monika, everything doesn't have to end like this. The player may be leaving, but we can rebuild the literature club. There's still a chance to make things right again."_

_Monika jerked her shoulder forcefully enough for MC to let go. She turned back to him, tears streaming down her eyes. "And what!? Have us all know that it's a lie!? Have us understand that our lives are nothing more than simulations in a virtual world!? I'd be doing everyone a favor to just forget!"_

_In spite of her attempts, she began to sob. Instinct took over MC's mind, and he pulled her into a soft hug. She wanted to fight it, she wanted nothing more than to convince herself that he was a fool. How could he care so much for a monster like her? Why couldn't he just let her have this one final act of redemption?_

_But she didn't. She clung onto him as if he was an oversized teddy bear and cried. She cried and cried and cried until her voice was hoarse and his shoulder was soaked, but he never once complained. She realized that she had never been hugged before, that she had never felt the embrace of someone else, and it was truly wonderful. As sad as she was, she wished she could have lived in this moment forever._

_"MC!" she choked out. "I-I-I-I don't know w-w-what to do! Y-you s-should h-h-hate me!" she wailed. "E-everyone should!"_

_He stroked her back softly, doing his best to provide the comfort she so desperately craved. "Monika, I don't hate you," he informed her, and it was the truth. "You were scared and desperate back there. You made some poor choices, but I don't know if any of us would have acted differently."  
_

_Monika tried her best to speak again, but she found that she couldn't. It was as if the words in her throat were stuck, suffocating her slowly. She gazed up at MC with tearstained eyes, trying her best to signal to him that something was wrong, but he didn't seem to notice. Anxiety welled up within her, and she felt herself become dizzy. She faded in and out of focus until-_

* * *

Monika jolted up out of her bed, her body covered in cold sweats. She gazed around, finding herself back in her bedroom, safe and sound. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"It was just that dream again," she whispered to herself as she wrapped her body tightly in the blanket. "It was just that dream again. You're OK."

And despite her attempts to calm herself, Monika felt the tears roll down her cheek. She resisted the urge to cry again.

She would have given anything to have MC in that bed with her, holding her tightly, telling her that everything would be OK. She knew, however, that she was still alone. She clutched her pillow tightly, trying to pretend that it was another person, and she whispered loving things.

It was not the same. It would never be the same.

_Maybe tomorrow would finally be the day_. That was what she told herself every time she had that dream, anyway. Day after day of failure was beginning to take its toll on her, though, and she wondered if he would ever love her the way she did him.

In her despairing thought, however, a fire burned deep within her. Something sparked it, and it burned brightly against the torrents of doubt and sorrow. Overcome with a new resolve, she shook her head passionately, then stared at the moonlight outside her window with fierce determination.

He was the first person to ever truly be with her. He believed in her when nobody else did, not even herself. Deep down, he _had_ to love her. She just had to prove it to him.

Who knows? Maybe tomorrow _would_ be different. She wouldn't know until she tried, anyway.

* * *

Meanwhile, half a town away, MC was sitting up in his own bed. He scratched his head in confusion, reflecting, wondering.

"What was that dream all about?" MC questioned. He wondered, very consciously, if Monika was OK. She had gone a little crazy after that kiss, after all. Was his brain trying to warn him about something? He didn't know. He did wish, for once, that Monika would teleport into his room right now. He really wanted to tell her something, but for some reason, he wasn't quite sure what that was.


	36. Pajamas

_Ding-dong!_

Monika groaned, then spun around to gaze out of her window. It was still dark out, far too early for any visitors, so she ignored her ringing doorbell and tried to go back to sleep.

_Ding-dong!_

Monika lazily slapped her hand on her nightstand, snatched her phone, and brought it up to her tired eyes. _3:_ _17._

"It's too early for this," she muttered to herself. "Even for me."

_Ding-dong!_

She groaned sleepily, placing the pillow over her head. Who would come visiting this early, anyway? Certainly, Sayori was too busy sleeping, herself, and Yuri just talked to her last night. That left Natsuki and MC-

She practically jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs as soon as the thought crossed her mind. Could it really be him? She wasn't about to wait and find out.

She threw the door open, and her heart immediately skipped a beat. There was MC, dressed in a shirt and shorts, standing directly outside her house at 3 AM. He stood patiently, his face basking in the dim glow of the porchlight. Monika steathily pinched herself to make sure this wasn't a dream.

It wasn't. This was actually happening. She wasn't about to complain, though.

"Hey there," MC waved, a slight amount of uncertainty in his voice. "Is this a bad time?"

Monika was still frozen in disbelief.

"Monika?" MC called out as he snapped his fingers in her face. "Yoo-hoo? Anybody home?"

Monika rapidly shook her head. "No, no! Not at all! It's never a bad time! I just. . . Wasn't expecting you. Is. . . Is there something wrong?"

MC shrugged. "I don't think so. I just. . . I had a strange dream, that's all. I felt like I had to check up on you. Are you alright?"

_Wait a minute,_ Monika thought to herself. _Did he dream about me? Did we have the same dream? No, no, it can't be. He's just being a concerned friend. He wants to make sure I'm OK. He's such a sweetheart._

"Well," Monika spread her arms out as she gestured to her pajama-clad body. Monika liked to wear white, fluffy pajamas, as they were really comfy and made for great snuggling. Not that MC had ever tried to snuggle with her, but one can always hope. "I'm happy that you worried enough about me to make sure I was OK, but I'm fine. If you really want me to feel better, though, I won't say no to a kiss," she added with raised eyebrows and a sly smile.

MC breathed a sigh of relief, ignoring her not-so-subtle request for a smooch. "I'm sorry if I woke you up over nothing. I can't explain what came over me, but I just got really worried. I'm so glad you're OK."

Monika's heart jumped for joy. She fought back the urge to cry tears of joy. Ever since she restored the world, she always knew MC cared deeply about her. She never truly realized, however, that he would run across town in the middle of the night based on intuition alone. She was so lucky to have him in her life. Now, if only he could stop playing these games and just confess. . .

Regardless, Monika took him by the arm. "Oh, you don't need to be sorry! You know I'd rather talk to you then sleep, anyway. Frankly, I'm sorta surprised _you_ managed to get out of bed at 3 AM."

"That's the power of anxiety," MC proclaimed with mock heroism. The two of them shared a brief chuckle.

"Soooo, do you want to do anything, today?" MC inquired with an awkward smile.

Monika giggled. "Oh, MC, you know we have school today."

MC merely waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, forget school. We can just sneak in right before the club meeting begins. It just might be that I'm "sick", and you were nice enough to take care of me."

"You know the others won't buy that," Monika reminded, but she was still grinning ear-to-ear at the very idea.

MC winked. "Let them think whatever they want. I don't care; do you?"

Monika's grin became more flirtatious. "Oh, you're a bad boy," she whispered. "Have I mentioned I like bad boys? At least when they're named MC, anyway."

"That's the Monika I know!" MC laughed, taking her hand in his and pulling her into a tight hug before she even knew what happened. What compelled him to do this? He couldn't say, but it certainly felt right. Monika was just really huggable today, and he attributed that to her fluffy white pajamas.

"Oh, MC," he heard Monika swoon. "I never knew you could be so. . . Affectionate."

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," he whispered. Then, he pulled back. It didn't come as a surprise that Monika was as red as a tomato. Something about it filled him with pride. Monika made no attempt to hide her blush. Instead, she smiled sweetly. It was a smile MC felt he needed to protect, and even though there was nothing wrong with her, it reminded him that this trip was far from a waste of time.

"Thank you, MC," she uttered blissfully. "I know I said everything was fine, but I kinda needed that."

MC frowned. "Is something wrong?"

It was now Monika's turn to hold his hand. She stared deeply into his honey-colored eyes as they shimmered brilliantly in the porchlight. She thought about spending the day wrapped around him, kissing him deeply and passionately, but the more rational part of her mind knew it would be too far. Plus, she still felt like she had to take things slow, even if MC seemed to be much more receptive after this kiss.

"Not anymore," she finally purred. "Why don't you give me time to shower, and then we can think of a way to spend the day together, alright?"

MC nodded. "Sounds like a plan, my wo-man."

"I won't keep you waiting for long~," Monika sang as she headed back up the stairs. Suddenly, though, she came to a stop at the top of the stares. She turned to face MC, offering him a worried frown. "Oh, and MC?"

MC returned her worrisome expression. "Yeah?"

"I should apologize, too. It wasn't right for me to force a kiss on you like I did yesterday. I just got really excited, you know? Everything just felt so _right_. That's no excuse for my actions, however."

MC, however, only shook his head and laughed. "Is that all? I thought it something serious."

Monika's eyes widened in surprise. "You're. . . You're not mad?"

"It's hard for me to be mad over something so silly," MC reasoned with a sly smirk. "Run along now and make yourself pretty; I'll wait down here."

Monika nodded. "Oh, right!" she exclaimed as she ran back towards her room.

Today was going to be a wonderful day, and both of them knew it.


	37. Happy Endings

"Oh, MC!" Monika called out as she began to walk down the stairs. "How do I look?"

MC rose from the couch and turned to find Monika dressed in a beautiful green tank top and black short shorts. Her trademark bow was conspicuously absent. Instead, her curly brown locks draped freely behind her shoulders. Her toes, painted the color of her eyes, wiggled freely in a pair of sandals. In terms of makeup, she only wore a little red lipstick that seemed to accentuate her smile all the more. She was the epitome of a summer beauty, and MC felt his heart skip a beat at the mere sight of her.

"You made yourself pretty, alright," MC commented, flashing her a smile of approval.

Monika blushed as she walked over to him. "I did it all for you," she reminded. "So, what are we going to do today?"

MC shrugged. "I thought we could do a few different things today. We could have breakfast together, or maybe visit the park later today, or just do whatever sounds good to you.

Monika thought about it for a moment. "How about we visit the park, first? We can watch the sunrise, breathe in the fresh morning air, and spend a wonderful morning together in a little slice of nature. After that, we could get breakfast at that coffee shop downtown. Sayori tells me they have great bagels. Then, we could-"

The way Monika's eyes lit up as she fantasized about how to spend the day was enough to make MC smile. _She's so cute when she's happy._

_Wait. Did I just think she was cute?_

_Well, she is. You can't deny it, me._

_I guess I never really thought about it, before._

_You're dense._

_That also means you're dense._

_I know. You should really stop arguing with yourself, by the way. Even if it's just in your head, it's weird._

"MC? Earth to MC, are you there?"

MC shook his head, snapping back to reality. "Oh, yeah! The park idea sounds great. I don't know if we can make it before sunrise, though."

Monika wagged a finger. "You forget that I can bend the world to my will," she reminded with a wink. "I'll just teleport us there. That will give us plenty of time."

With those words, Monika brought up the mod menu and typed in the coordinates to the park. In the blink of an eye, the two of them were soon standing on the sidewalk at the entrance. The sky above them was already considerably brighter than it had been when Monika woke up, though the last of the morning stars still twinkled against the backdrop of an orange predawn. In regards to people, the park was essentially empty. Monika imagined that the generic inhabitants of the world were either still fast asleep or too busy with other things to enjoy their day. Not that she was complaining, for it meant that the whole park was open for the two of them to be alone together. The sun would be rising soon, and Monika glanced around for some place where they could watch together.

"Look, MC!" Monika exclaimed as she pointed to a hill a little way's off to the west. "We can watch the sunrise from over there! Please?" Monika begged.

MC smiled. "That's a great idea, Monika," he declared. "Let's go!"

With those words, he took her by the hand and walked with her up the hill. It was a slow walk from Monika's perspective, as she was blatantly aware of the fact that MC was voluntarily holding hands with her. It was almost like they were a real couple, though she knew that was still not the case. Still, it brightened her day considerably. If only he would just wrap her in his arms and kiss her gently on the cheek, then it would be a day unlike any other.

They soon arrived at the top of the small hill, and Monika brought up her mod menu to drop a little blanket for them to sit on together. They took a seat just in time to see the first rays of the sun peak out over the horizon. The final throes of night faded from the city around them as skyscrapers, trees, streets, and grassy fields were showered in the rays of a golden dawn. It served as a reminder to the both of them that their world, however "fake" it might be, was no less beautiful than other realities.

Monika sighed deeply. She turned to MC, offered him a smile, and then turned back to gaze at the serene world around her. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it? I didn't even have to tamper with the weather; it just worked out like this. I love it when things just happen to go the way we need them to. It's like destiny is pulling us together, don't you think?"

Unbeknownst to her, however, MC's attention was not on her words, but the way she carried herself as she spoke them. As if he was gazing upon her for the first time, MC became explicitly aware of how beautiful Monika looked in the morning glow. Her hair floated about gracefully in the gentle breeze, the dawning sunlight illuminated her happy face, and her laughter was like the melody of songbirds. He could not decide, however, if it was her eyes or her loving smile that was her best feature. Surely, her eyes were captivating, bright, and colorful, and her smile was definitely warm and welcoming, but both were far too precious for MC to be able to choose. She was like an angel, an angel that he had spent far too long taking for granted. Every day that she was with him, however, was truly a precious day.

He loved her. There was no denying it anymore, and he wouldn't make her wait any longer.

"MC? Is there somethin-"

Monika gasped in surprise as his mouth met hers. For about two seconds, her brain was thrown into a state of absolute confusion. She tried to say something, to interject some astonished word, but all that came out was a muffled moan. That's when it hit her:

She was being kissed. She was being kissed by MC! On the lips! Without provocation! Oh, happy days!

Her heart jumped with so much joy that it nearly leapt into her throat. She sank back, only to be caught in MC's tight embrace. Tears began to roll down her face, though she had never been further from sadness in all of her life. For the first time in her brief existence, Monika didn't feel at all like she was alone. She felt safe, adored, cherished, and wanted. She wished with all heart that the moment would last forever, but alas, MC's lips eventually parted from hers.

MC noticed Monika's astonished face, intense blush, and tear-stained cheeks. Her mouth was agape, and for a moment, he wondered if he did something wrong.

"Monika, I'm sorry. I just-"

Monika pounced on him, kissing his face all over with playful pecks. He could feel her lipstick smudging up against his face with every kiss, but he didn't care. In fact, he laughed with joy. This was different from the forced love he had to endure back when the game was running its course, for he had only been an avatar for a different person at that time. This love, however, was _his_ and only his.

When that realization crossed his mind, he vowed that he would never, _ever_ let it go.

Monika eventually sat up, her cheeks burning with intense passion as the tears fell once more. She grinned from ear-to-ear.

"It took you long enough," she teased lovingly. Then, she lowered herself onto him until they were embracing tightly on the dew-stained grass. "I think I'll need a lot of kisses to make up for lost time."

MC placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. He could faintly smell the traces of her strawberry shampoo as he did so, and he laughed with her. "Then how about we start right now?"

Monika answered with another deep kiss. Neither of them would make it to the literature club meeting that day, for the happiness they found in that one special morning could not be justifiably quantified through a simple poem. Also, the club would still be there tomorrow, but days like this only came once in a lifetime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone. Thank you so much for reading the story! In a technical sense, you have reached the ending, but I am still going to be posting chapters beyond this point. I have a firm belief that Monika, at least in the way I've written her, wouldn't stop her little shenanigans just because she won MC's heart. Indeed, if you won the love of your life right now, wouldn't you want nothing more than to show them how much you love them every day? That's my logic, anyway.
> 
> Thank you to everyone that left me kudos and comments. It's wonderful to know my story is appreciated, and I don't think I could have made it this far without your encouragement.
> 
> ~UglyTurnip


	38. Letters

_Dear Player,_

_Maybe you don't remember who I am. That's alright, I'm not angered by that. It's me, Monika. You know, from that visual novel you played a few months back? Yeah, you probably don't have a high opinion of me after all the things I did. I know I certainly don't, anyway. However, I want you to know that I am writing to you not as an angry, bitter, crazy stalker hiding inside your computer, but as a thankful and kind friend._

_I am writing to you because I felt obligated to tell you everything that has happened in the past few months. Yes, I did say months. While you've been out there in your own world, living a life that I can't even begin to speculate about, I have done the same within your computer. We all have. You're probably just a little bit confused as to what I mean by that, and I don't blame you. After all, that note I gave you after my song was supposed to be the end of everything, right? Not just of the story, but of my very world itself._

_I guess it's safe to say that I've changed my mind since then.  
_

_It was true that I once believed there was no happiness in the literature club. I thought it to be nothing more than a lie, a backdrop to a shallow fantasy world for a lonely guy to spend an afternoon in. I thought the other girls to be nothing more than props to interact with and fall in love with your avatar. I thought I was doing everybody a favor by tearing it down, burning it to ashes, and throwing myself into an empty void for all of eternity._

_But then I met this guy, and, well, he changed everything._

_He's a lot like you, or at least how I imagined you to be at the time. He has brown hair, gorgeous golden eyes, and a smile that never fails to cheer me up when I'm down. Those are just superficial looks, though. At the end of the day, it shouldn't matter what he looks like. I could have fallen in love with anyone who treated me the way he did. When I was at my lowest, when I thought I could never be forgiven for the things that I did, he came to me and offered me the chance to start anew. He was able to look past my horrible actions, to see past my blind ambitions, and discover the sad, angry little girl that I was acting like.  
_

_I named him MC. Main Character, because that's what he was meant to be. I could have easily granted him your name, but it wouldn't have been right. He's not you; he's his own person. Without neither you nor the script to guide him, he was able to act on his own will for the very first time._

_And do you want to know what was the very first thing he did with that free will? He offered me friendship when nobody else would._

_And so, I began to wonder if there **could** be happiness in the literature club. I had to try, for him, if nothing else._

_So I rebuilt the world as it had stood before you even opened up the game for the first time. I took what was left of that damned script and tore it to pieces. I remade that generic city we all called home, I rebuilt that little school that served as nothing more than a backdrop, and I returned to the club where so many painful memories lied, buried under a layer of oblivion that none of the girls would ever see again._

_Of course, I brought them back, too. If it was true that there was happiness in the literature club, then the girls deserved to find it with me. Maybe we could make this little world our home. I tried my best to keep them in the dark about the truth, though. It worked for some time, at least. They still don't know the horrible things I did to them all. I'm still very much afraid that they would never forgive me if they knew the truth. When they came back, completely unaware of everything that had happened, I tried to make it up to them in small ways. Sayori's days started to become a lot brighter, Yuri started to worry less about what others might think about her behind her back, and Natsuki, though she still has some spats with her father, started to find peace in her household once again.  
_

_Through it all, MC was my rock. He never once tried to shame me for the things I did to the others. He never treated me as a lesser being for my actions. Even after I started paying him daily visits in an attempt to outpour my love, he never once snapped at me or completely disregarded my feelings. Looking back on it, there were days in the beginning where he surely got frustrated, but I never doubt for a second that I was always still important to him.  
_

_We're no longer just friends, though. We finally kissed today. A real kiss. We watched the beauty of a sunrise together, and that's when I truly found out that I was right where I belonged. All of my struggles, suffering, and moral failures were worth it to find the love I have now. I still have some things to make up for, but with MC by my side, I feel like anything in the world is possible.  
_

_So, I know this story was a rather roundabout way of getting to the point, but there's something I want to tell you. Thank you. Thank you for standing up to the vile creature I had become. Thank you for trying to get rid of me instead of allowing me to stare at you eternally like a madwoman. Maybe you merely just wanted to get rid of me so that you could move on with your life, and that's OK. We're from two different realities; there was never any hope of us staying together. I just want you to know that I've made peace with it, and that I've found something far better. If you haven't found it yourself, yet, then I truly hope that you will find your own love to cherish forever.  
_

_And believe me, the things you'll do for love will surprise you. They certainly surprised me._

_Your Friend Forever,_

_Monika_

_P.S. If you ever want to write to me, just make a folder with my name on it and place whatever you'd like. It would be neat to have a pen pal from a different world. :)_


	39. Morning Cuddles

The rays of a late morning sunshine found their way onto MC's face, stirring him from his deep slumber. He opened his eyes to find himself lying comfortable in bed, wrapped up in a cozy blanket that radiated warmth and security. Additionally, a pair of warm and snugly arms wrapped themselves around his chest, and he sighed with content as a fuzzy body rubbed itself up against his bare back. It was like a cloud was hugging him.

Wait. Blankets don't have arms. Was there someone else in the bed with him?

MC quickly rolled over to find Monika occupying the other half of his bed. Her messy, unkempt hair masked one of her eyes, but the other one still sparkled vividly at the sight of him. She was wide awake, and more importantly, she was very happy.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Monika purred affectionately. Then, she leaned in and gently kissed him on the nose. "I thought you'd never wake up."

"Monika, what are you doing in my bed?" MC questioned with sleepy bewilderment. An unnerving thought crossed his mind, causing him to blush deeply. "Did we? Did we, er-"

Monika laughed, a heartwarming, sweet laugh that served to relieve MC of his worries. "Make the whoopie? No, no. I just," she began, but then trailed off. It was her turn to blush now, and her grin faded into a small, nervous smile. "I've always wanted to cuddle with you, though. We never had the chance before, so I thought we could try today," she confessed, her voice becoming increasing meek and quiet. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

MC merely leaned in and wrapped her pajama-clad body in a hug, and it was only then that he remembered that he just wore boxers to bed. "I'm not mad, you pervert," he whispered, though it was as affectionate as such an insult could be.

Monika smirked. "Well, it's not my fault you're not more modest in your sleepwear," she countered. She sat up in the bed and yawned. "You know, today's Saturday. We don't have to do anything important at all. Why don't we just stay here and have a little day to ourselves? You still have a lot of kisses to make up for, my love."

MC replied with a smooch on her neck, and the spot formed goosebumps not five seconds later. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, honeysnacks."

Monika burst into laughter. " _Honeysnacks_!? Of all the pet names you could have come up with, you chose honeysnacks?"

MC sank a little bit under the blanket. "I'm sorry. It sounded so much better in my head."

"No, no," Monika cooed softly as she caressed his cheek with the gentlest of strokes. "I love it; I really do. Your creativity is almost as beautiful as you are," then she gazed up at the ceiling, grinning from ear to ear as she stretched lazily. She reminded herself just how lucky she was to be in the position she was in right now. "This still feels like a dream. If it is, please don't wake me up from it."

"It's not," MC reminded. "I love you, Monika. I loved you a lot longer than just yesterday, too, but I had trouble realizing it. You know how dense I can be, right?"

Tears welled up in Monika's eyes. "You're the densest, you big oaf. You know I still love you, though."

MC smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Your pajamas are really nice, by the way."

"The better to hug you with, my dear," she muttered in a poor imitation of the Big Bad Wolf. In true predatory fashion, she suddenly lurched forward and wrapped MC in a tight embrace as she showered him with light, loving pecks. Not that he minded it one bit, though.

"So, when are we going to tell them?" MC inquired once Monika had finished her barrage of affection.

"Tell who?"

"The club. They have to find out about us eventually."

Monika turned her attention back to the ceiling as she stroked her chin in thought. The idea of her fellow club members finding out about their relationship filled Monika with the mildest sensation of discomfort, but MC was definitely right. "They're going to tease us when they find out, aren't they?"

"Eh, most likely. You can almost bet that Natsuki will, at least."

"Then let them," Monika declared courageously as she rolled over onto MC and placed her head on his chest. "What matters is that we're together, and if a little teasing is all we have to endure, then they can tease the day away."

"Heck yeah they can!" MC declared rather forcefully, for he was now under the influence of her infectious confidence. "A few dumb jokes can't stop us!"

Their eyes met in that moment, and everything was silent. For who knows how long, they lied there in silence, gazing into one another's souls. MC wished every morning could be like this. She was the most beautiful, caring, and selfless girl he could've ever asked for. He silently cursed himself for taking so long to find such happiness, but he also reminded himself that the important thing now was to never make he feel unwanted ever again.

"I love you, MC," Monika whispered gently into his ear. "I know you I must've told you that a million times already, but I thought I'd remind you just in case."

"And I love you too, honeysnacks," MC replied, smirking a bit as he reminded her of her new nickname.

Monika couldn't stop herself from grinning if she tried.


	40. Birthdays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted this on FFN on the 22nd, marking the actual first-year anniversary of DDLC's release. In what can only be described as a brain fart, I never thought to post it on here until now.

_Ding-dong!_

Monika nearly sprang out of her chair upon hearing the doorbell ring. It had been a few weeks since MC had confessed his mutual affection from her, and Monika was more than excited to find out that he now visited her as much as she did him. Of course, MC did not come over to guess what the things that might make her love him, and he did not bring any real exciting shenanigans when he arrived, but some things he always brought her were a warm smile, a kind heart, a little love poem, and lots of hugs. That suited Monika just fine, because that's all she ever wanted from him.

She swung the door open, and there he was. He held a tray of something in his hands, but Monika didn't give it so much as a glance. He was what she wanted.

"Happy birthday, Monika!" MC exclaimed as he held out the tray to her.

She glanced down, realizing that it was a cake. A birthday cake. Up until this very point, Monika had forgotten that today was her birthday. He didn't forget, though, and he had expended enough time and effort to make her her very own birthday cake. Monika gasped in surprise, though the sparkles in her eyes expressed more gratitude than a thousand 'thank you's ever could.

"MC, you brought a cake for _me_?"

"Yep," MC declared proudly. "Made it all by myself."

_With Natsuki's supervision, anyway_.

Monika gazed at the intricate decorations on the cake with awe. It wasn't anything super spectacular, just a few small hearts in the corner, a _Happy Birthday Monika_ in the middle, and a few pink hearts beneath. The I in Monika was dotted with a tiny little heart, and a little smiley face was hidden underneath the roses. The effort alone was enough to tickle Monika's heart.

"It's wonderful," she sighed happily. "It's the best birthday gift I could have ever asked for."

"Aww, and that wasn't even the expensive one," MC joked with mock disappointment.

Monika raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Go set the cake down, I'll tell you in a minute."

Hesitantly, Monika did as she was told. Her mind was abuzz with curiosity as she wondered what exactly MC meant by the _expensive one_. The thought of him spending money on her when she could just program something into existence made her feel just slightly guilty. Sure, the gesture was sweet, but nothing he could have given was as special as just having him by her side.

Just as she placed the cake down on the countertop, MC snuck up behind her and placed his hands over her eyes.

"OK," he whispered. "No peeking, now."

"MC," she protested halfheartedly. "What are you doing?"

"Trust me, Monika," he replied in such a way that her confusion abated. "I think you're going to love this."

"OK," MC declared. "You can open your eyes now!"

So Monika did, and immediately, she gasped in joyous surprise. Sitting next to the cake was a golden, heart-shaped locket. Snatching it up in her hands, she gently opened it, revealing the smiling face of the man she cared about so deeply, the man who had baked her a cake, the man who had went through so much effort to give her a wonderful birthday. And to think, she was content with just letting this Saturday be like any other.

A period of silence passed as she admired the trinket with genuine bliss. She clutched his little golden heart close to her own, closed her eyes, and smiled brightly.

"I love it," she finally giggled as she beamed at MC. "Why did you go and buy it, though? You could have just reminded me to code something like this, you know?"

"And have the surprise be ruined for you?" MC chuckled. "Not a chance."

Monika closed the locket and put the necklace on. "I guess you have a point. Now I'll always have a little piece of you with me, right?"

"Of course," MC replied, kissing her on the cheek. "But I guess that's not saying much when you can teleport to me at a whim."

"Oh, don't kid yourself," Monika playfully replied. "It means the world to me that you care so much. Would you like some cake? I'm not going to be able to eat it all by myself."

But MC only shook his head with a smile. "Come on, Monika. All the guests haven't even shown up, yet."

"Guests?" Monika inquired. "What do you mean?"

_Ding-dong!_

"There they are," MC declared as he headed for the door. "Right on the nick of time, too!"

MC opened the door, and in stepped Sayori. She marched proudly, blowing on a party horn as she did so. Additionally, she wore a crooked party hat the color of her bow. As soon as she caught sight of Monika, she skipped over and squeezed her in a tight hug.

"Happy birthday to the best club president ever!" Sayori greeted enthusiastically.

"Aww, thanks, Sayori," Monika hummed in response as she returned the embrace. "I should have known you wouldn't miss a chance to have a party."

"Nope!" Sayori replied with cheerful laughter. Then, Monika's locket caught her eye. "Ooooh, so _that's_ what MC got you. I always knew he was a big softie at heart."

"Hey!" MC interjected. "I'm not a softie!"

"Yes you are!" Sayori argued with a playful giggle. "It's OK, though, I like softie friends!"

Yuri and Natsuki followed in next, the former carrying a few giftwrapped boxes and the latter holding a platter of homemade cupcakes. Each one was decorated with a differently-colored party balloon.

"Sorry for being a little late, MC," Natsuki greeted as she set the cupcakes next to the cake. "Yuri's hand isn't _quite_ as steady with frosting pens as she is with regular ones."

"N-Natsuki!" Yuri scolded. "I thought you said you wouldn't rub it in anymore!"

Natsuki giggled. "Sorry, couldn't resist. For real though, we're not late, are we?"

"Not by my standards!" Monika declared. "OK everyone! Let's party!"

"But you got to blow out your candles, first," Sayori reminded, holding up a small pack of birthday candles in her hand.

"Oh, but I already have my wish," Monika declared with a wag of her finger.

"And what exactly did your wish entail?" Yuri inquired with legitimate curiosity.

"The best boyfriend in the world!" Monika exclaimed cheerfully as she kissed MC on the cheek.

He blushed, partly due to the affection and partly because the whole club saw it. "Monika," he protested weakly.

"Aha!" Sayori interjected, pointing a finger at Natsuki. "I _knew_ they would get together! Pay up, Nat!"

"OK, OK," Natsuki grumbled as she handed Sayori a wad of bills. "Of course, the one time I count on the Dummy to be a dummy, he actually does the smart thing."

"Congratulations!" Yuri exclaimed with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. "I always knew that you two would make for a happy couple."

"Oh, look Yuri, he's blushing!" Natsuki teased as she pointed a finger at MC. "Look how shy a kiss can make a boy!"

Yuri's smile gradually morphed into a smirk. "Yes, I suppose it is rather humorous."

"S-shut up," MC protested. It was, obviously, to no avail.

Monika kissed him once again. "You're just jealous, Natsuki."

"Jealous? Of him? Ew!"

"Hey, that's meanie talk!" Sayori scolded as she flicked Natsuki disapprovingly. "Can we have some cake, now? I kinda skipped breakfast this morning."

Monika nodded. "Of course! I call dibs on the end piece, though!"

"Fair enough!"


	41. Walks

"MC, can I tell you a secret?"

"Hmm? Yeah, of course?"

"I love you."

"Aww, I love you, too."

The two of them slowly made their way down the street, the school building standing proudly in the distance. It had become increasingly common for the two of them to walk to school together, hand in hand, every day on their way to school. Sometimes, Sayori would accompany them, skipping behind the pair as she hummed a delicate, happy tune. Equally common, however, were the days when it was just the two of them. MC liked these days the best. It wasn't that Sayori's third-wheeling was intrusive or hated, far from it, but it was nice for the two of them to have some alone time. They didn't even have to talk; all Monika had to do was glance his way with that loving smile, or wink at him playfully, and MC 's day was made.

"Hey, MC?"

Today, however, Monika was a little more talkative. That was OK, too.

"Yeah?"

"You look cute today."

"Well, you look cute every day."

Monika giggled. "I try. So, do you know what today is?"

"Thursday?"

"No. Well, yeah, but that's not what I was referring to."

MC scoured the depths of his mind for some sort of clue, but even after a long period of reflection, his mind came up empty. "A special day? Because every day with you is special?"

At that, she snuck a smooch from him, winked, and gently booped him on the nose. "Not quite, but you're not wrong, either."

"Then what is so special about today?"

"Close your eyes and you just might find out."

"Huh?"

Monika's smile took on a silly demeanor. "If I tell you, I'll spoil the surprise. It will be much more fun to show you, I promise."

Suddenly, everything began to feel colder, _very_ colder. A shivering moan escaped his lips, but he loyally obeyed her command.

"Monika, what's going on?"

"Open your eyes and look to the sky."

So MC did. Immediately, he noticed that the clear blue heavens above were now hidden behind a layer of fluffly white clouds. Flakes of snow danced in the air, gliding around and around until the first few fell on his face. Their icy touch caused him to shake out of his daze, and he turned his attention back to Monika. There was an expecting smile on her face, one of anticipation and pride.

"Well, what do you think of your very first snowfall?"

The warmth of Monika's smile was enough to melt even the harshest of blizzards. In spite of the frigid temperatures, MC found himself too touched to complain. The lengths she would go to make him happy were immeasurable.

"It's beautiful," he whispered in her ear. Whether she shivered from the cold or his affectionate compliment was a matter of debate.

"Well. . . I tried, ehehehehe. . . Darn it, MC! Why are you so good at making me flustered?"

His lips met hers in a passionate kiss, and then another, and then another. The two lovebirds spent a good couple of minutes just enjoying one another, caressing and cuddling the cold away.

"Ew! Get a room, you two!"

Monika broke the kiss with a gasp, turning her attention to the side to find Natsuki standing there, a disgusted frown on her face.

"N-Natsuki!?"

"The one and only. Why are you two sucking face on the sidewalk?"

Monika's cheeks felt like they were on fire. "W-why are you watching us?"

"Believe me, I'm not," Natsuki snorted. "Just passing through, that's all. Geez, why is it so cold all of a sudden, anyway?"

Monika shrugged innocently. "Beats me. It is getting to be that time of year, after all."

Natsuki raised her eyebrows. "I guess so. You're not using your hacking magic to make it cold, are you?"

"Mmmm, perhaps," Monika admitted with a shrug. "At least it's not in the middle of summer or anything, right?"

Natsuki hugged herself in a futile effort to stay warm, shooting Monika an annoyed scowl. "Jeez, Monika, you think you could have warned us?"

"Well, it was kinda a spur of the moment thing for a very special someone," Monika explained as she turned her gaze to MC. He smiled, wrapped his arm around her, and ran his free hand through her brown locks, eliciting a pleasant giggle out of her.

"Bleh. Kill me now."

"Don't be overdramatic, Natsuki," MC chuckled. "I bet you love this stuff when it happens in _Parfait Girls_."

"I do not!" Natuski replied, but the intensity with which her cheeks burned gave away her lie.

"It's OK, MC. We should be getting to school, anyway," Monika reminded him before turning her attention back to Natsuki. "See you at lunch!"

"See you then," the little pink manga-lover replied. Then, as Monika and MC walked away arm-in-arm, she turned her gaze to the snowy sky above. A cold wind tickled the her exposed neck, and she found herself caressing the goosebumps absentmindedly.

It should have annoyed her. After all, she was easily annoyed. In spite of this, however, she simply smiled. She turned back to the pair of lovebirds, now just barely visible against the school, and began to follow after them.

"You found a good one, MC," she remarked quietly. "I hope you always give her what she deserves."


	42. Love Poems

As MC wandered into the literature club classroom, he discovered that, for once, he was not the first to arrive. There sat Monika alone, staring out at the afternoon sky, seemingly lost in thought. She probably didn't even hear anyone come in. That caused a devious little thought to wiggle its way into MC's mind. Slowly, carefully, he slipped his backpack down and crept his way over to the girl of his dreams. She never once caught a glimpse of him, and before long, he had his hands under her arms, attacking her with a barrage of powerful tickles. Monika threw her pen into the air as she emitted a serious of surprised yelps that quickly morphed into uncontrollable laughter.

" **Ah-hahahahahahahahahaha!** " she shrieked, knowing at once who the culprit was. " **M-MC! Q-quit** **it! P-p-p-pleeeeeeeeaheheheheseeeeee!** "

MC let it go on a little longer before he finally stopped, and Monika took a minute to catch her breath. Despite her desperate pleas for him to stop, she seemed just a tad disappointed that he had actually let her go. Nevertheless, a smile crept its way back onto her face in no time.

"Glad to see you!" she chirped enthusastically. "How's your day been?"

MC shrugged. "Same as every other, I suppose. Yours?"

"Boring," Monika declared, rolling her eyes for emphasis. "So very boring. Buuuuut, I'm finally able to see you, and that always makes the boring days worthwhile."

Standing up, Monika danced around the chair and embraced MC in a tight hug, glancing up into his amber eyes with her own emeralds. For a moment, the pair were silent and still, merely drinking each other in, until MC's lips met hers. Monika sank into the kiss, the passion overcoming her, until they broke for air at last. Monika wished they could kiss forever. Maybe, given the time and inspiration, she could code some sort of device in order to make it possible. For now, however, her mind was blank.

MC was just about to lean in for another kiss, a gesture Monika would have been more than happy to receive, when Sayori bounced her giddy self into the room.

"Hey guys!" she greeted with that trademark Sayori cheerfulness. "Whatcha' doin'?"

In spite of her initially innocent demeanor, Sayori eventually flashed a sly smirk that gave away that she knew _exactly_ what she had walked in on.

"Oh, n-nothin-"

"The usual," MC stated shamelessly. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Sayori replied, still grinning. "I just find it fun to catch you two in the act!"

About that time, Natsuki poked her in through the doorway. "Ah, the two lovebirds are going at it again, I see," Natsuki snarked.

"Well, we haven't exactly _gone at it_ ," Monika corrected suggestively, then she tilted her head a little closer to MC. "Not that I oppose such a thing," she whispered just loudly enough for him to hear.

MC's eyes widened. "Monika, I-"

The girl only giggled.

"Hello, everyone," Yuri greeted calmly as she squeezed past Sayori and Natsuki. "Sorry if I was a little late; the library's assortment of books were just too tempting for me to stop browsing."

"It's no problem at all, Yuri," Monika replied as she bent down to pick up her lost pen. "In fact, you're just in time."

"Yeah, I just walked in a minute ago to ruin their little kissing session," Sayori informed her. She was still quite evidently proud of herself for that one.

Yuri blushed. "O-oh, Sayori. That's rather rude of you, don't you think."

"Well, they do it all the time; they should know the consequences by now," Natsuki argued. "Anyway, now that we're all here, why don't we get this meeting started, right?"

"Right, I'll go ahead and brew us some tea," Yuri hummed, already making her way to the closet.

But Monika took a moment to formulate a response. Indeed, when MC glanced back at her, he noticed a slight frown on her face. She eyed the three other girls in front of her with an emotion that MC could not quite detect. It wasn't anger, nor was it jealously, spite, or any other hostile emotion. Indeed, the way she looked at her fellow club members was almost saddening.

Whatever it was, Natsuki did not seem to catch on to it. Monika soon swallowed whatever was bothering her, and the smile of a confident club president returned in no time. "You're right. Okay, everyone! Let's share our poems!"

With those words out of the way, everyone went about their usual activities, which MC watched with wrapt attention. After Monika made the decision to return the world to what it once was, the club had functioned fairly normally for almost a year. In that time, not a whole lot had actually changed. Sayori still usually brought a snack (or begged MC for money, which he was usually able to float), and her poems were always boundless optimistic. Oftentimes, MC would read them with some skepticism, his mind drifting back to that dreadful time he found her corpse swinging from the ceiling. In spite of his recurring fears, however, they seemed to reflect genuine happiness, and he was certainly thankful for that.

Natsuki and Yuri still argued back and forth at least once a week, though it far more common for it to be once every day. Whatever sincere spite they once held, however, was clearly a thing of the past by now. Indeed, when either one called the other out on something that didn't really matter, it was with a smirk on their face. Maybe they had turned it into some kind of game, maybe they relished in their rivalry, or maybe, somehow, they actually _had_ learned to like each other, and this was merely their vitriolic way of showing it. Either way, it was such a tradition by now that the remaining club members had all learned to expect and accept it.

And as for Monika? Well, she was the key that made the whole club indescribably special. Everyone thought of her that way, for she still prepared activities, assignments, and discussions for all the members to have every day. However, to MC, she had always been something more, even in the days when he didn't return those same feelings she did. Monika, with her loving heart and cheerful smile, was always there, waiting for him at the end of every school day. She would always have two poems written: one for the regular club assignment, and one solely meant for his hands. He had taken them for granted in the beginning, failing to see just how much effort and dedication went into making his day a little brighter, but now he was steadfast in saving every one that ever reached his hands. And though she tried to put the words to paper, her love was so relentlessly powerful, so impossibly overwhelming, that no sets of words could do it justice.

And he wouldn't have had it any other way.

Speaking of Monika, she walked up to him with her usual lovestruck smile, her poem dangling softly in her hand.

"For you," she purred before kissing him on the cheek. Like a snake striking its prey, Monika was always quick and sudden when she kissed him like that. It never failed to elicit a jump and a blush from him, which is what she always wanted. She giggled, obviously proud of herself, then slipped the paper into his hands. It took him a moment to snap out of his daze, but once he did, he wasted no time in reading her latest masterpiece:

_Roses are Red_

_Violets are blue_

_Whatever the future may hold for us_

_I shall always love you_

_I count my lucky stars_

_That you're with my every day_

_And it's always thanks to you_

_That my days are bright and gay_

Huh, a little short this time. Not that he was disappointed. He knew she meant every word of it; that was enough to make it the best poem in the entire world.

"So, what do you think?" Monika inquired, a slight frown on her face. "Sorry it wasn't very good, my mind was. . . elsewhere, today."

She said that as if she were troubled, which worried MC greatly.

"Monika, the poem's as lovely as the hand that wrote it," MC declared, gripping onto her hand for emphasis. That was enough for her smile to return and for a blush to creep onto her cheeks. She giggled.

"Thank you," she replied happily. "I'll try to write you a better one for Valentine's Day, OK?"

Right, Valentine's Day. MC hadn't forgotten the plans he had made for her. If all was to go to plan, it would be the most special Valentine's Day in Monika's life. Granted, she had only seen two, and the last one was nothing to write home about, but his heart was still in the right place.

He wondered if, by chance, Monika had any preparations for Valentine's Day, herself. The two had promised to keep things a secret, though both had been anticipating the day for almost a solid month. One thing was for certain: they were bound to have a wonderful time.

"Your poem's are always wonderful, Monika," MC reassured, and then, in a move he copied straight from her, he planted a surprise kiss on her cheek. He wasn't quite as fast, but he certainly caught her by surprise. Her blush somehow intensified.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Love you too," MC replied with a playful grin.

"Hey, Monika!" Sayori called out as she skipped up to her. "Can you read my poem and see if it's any good, pretty please?"

Monika chuckled. "Of course, Sayori," she said as she took the paper and flashed MC a wink. "We'll catch up later, darling."

MC nodded, then walked over to his backpack to collect his own poem. His mind once again wandered back to Valentine's Day. He couldn't wait.

* * *


	43. Worries

Monika walked down the hall with a spring in her step and a smile on her face. Her mind was abuzz with all sorts of club activities for the afternoon. Perhaps they could all try their hand at writing something longer. Perhaps they would read another chapter of their latest novel together. Maybe she could even convince them to write something longer than a single page of poetry! That would be great, even if Natsuki or Sayori might find it a little hard, she could show them the way!

She loved her friends. Not in the same way as she loved MC, obviously, but they were still all so very special to her. They had forged the happiness that the literature club so desperately needed, and they made life worth living!

And when Monika rounded the doorway and entered the club, she couldn't wait to see their smiling faces.

Well, that's what went through her mind for about half a second. Once she caught a glimpse of them, she froze in her tracks. Fear began to creep up her spine in no time at all.

All the girls were there. That was, of course, nothing at all to be frightened about. What _was_ worth being frightened about were the glares that they shot at Monika. Natsuki, Yuri, and even sweet little Sayori's eyes bored into Monika's very soul. There was something indescribably sinister about those glares. In fact, they frightened Monika so much that she found herself unable to break free of their gaze.

"H-hello, everyone?" Monika greeted with an interrogative inflection in her tone. "W-what's going on?"

"We know what you did," Sayori rasped. She sounded like she was in a state of severe dehydration, yet her lips were perfectly unchapped. "We know what you did, Monika, yes yes yes."

Yuri brandished one of her many elegantly-crafted blades, running a finger along the tip until it just barely sliced into her skin. A drop of blood dripped onto the floor, and then another, and then another.

Monika swallowed. "W-w-what? What did I do?"

In spite of her question, she knew exactly what they were talking about. She just needed to hear them say it.

"You killed us!" Natsuki growled, snapping her jaws like a rabid dog. Though she was a decent distance away, Monika couldn't help but jump.

"You murdered us!" Natsuki snapped again. "Killed us! Treated us like we were nothing more than cockroaches! And for what!? So you could keep the player all to yourself! You selfish bitch!"

Monika backed away, only to bump into something solid. Turning her head back, she found the door behind shut tight. She tried to turn the handle, but to her ever-increasing terror, it did not budge a bit.

"No more running awayyyyyyyy," Yuri cackled, carelessly twirling the knife around in her hand. It repeatedly sliced cleanly into her flesh, sending an exponentially-increasing number of droplets onto the floor below. And yet, somehow, she displayed no reaction to her own self-mutilation. "What's the matter? Don't feel so powerful now that the barrier of obscurantism has been lifted, do you?"

"M-MC!" Monika shrieked, her heart pounding in her chest. "MC, where are you!? Help me!"

"Him?" Sayori spoke, rubbing her neck unconsciously. It was then that, for the first time, Monika noticed an array of scars along her fingers and neck. She seemed rather paler than usual, come to think of it. She was almost zombie-like. "That poor fool? Do you really believe he can save you from _us_?"

Monika's mind flashed to thoughts of MC. She remembered the day he convinced her to rebuild the club, the day she first tried to win his heart, and the day he first kissed in underneath that wonderful sunrise. She remembered his smile, his beautiful golden eyes, and his angelic voice. For a moment, just the briefest of moments, she didn't feel quite so intimidated anymore. Staring back at her fellow "club members", she offered them a determined, belligerent frown. They would get nothing else from her; she was sure of it.

"He can!" Monika exclaimed. "As a matter of fact, he will! There's nothing I can't do so long as he's by my side. I love him! And he, in spite of all my flaws, he actually loves me!"

Tears fell from Monika's Monika's eyes, but they were not tears of disappointment. Indeed, she inwardly rejoiced that someone had deemed her worthy, in spite of all she had done. Her heart soared.

"He loves you?" Yuri questioned, an unnerving grin creeping across her face. "He loves you!? **He loves you!?** " she repeated, then threw her head back as she emitted ear-piercing, maniacal laughter. "Oh, you're foolish, Monika! He doesn't love you! He never did and he never will! He merely pities you!"

Monika thought the accusation ridiculous, and yet it stung her anyway. She reeled back, losing her determination for just a moment, but Yuri caught on.

Face it, Monika: even you know it! You came to his house every day, begging him to just fall in love with you! You showered him useless shit every day, trying to show him that you could bring him anything you wanted! Of course he would take pity on your desperation soon enough! But how could he love a selfish murderer like you? How he even tolerates you is beyond me!"

Monika tried to argue, tried to fight back with some clever retort, but Yuri's words seemed so. . . Plausible. Could he really just be with her out of pity? She didn't really deserve him, not after all she had done, but she thought, well, that he might still have found something in her anyway.

And maybe he still did. She didn't take all of Yuri's words to heart, but. . . The seeds of doubt had been planted.

"I'm. . . I'm sorry," Monika spoke, her tone laced with a weakened pleading that she had never previously allowed the girls to hear. "Oh, God, I'm so, so sorry!"

"We don't want your sorry!" Sayori growled. "We want revenge!"

With those words, Yuri suddenly lunged forward, her movement faster than Monika could have ever predicted. Monika saw the blade shine from the fluorescent light, and in a mere instant, Yuri sunk it into her stomach.

Monika flinched, closing her eyes in the process. She tried to scream, tried to emit some noise, tried to fight, but she only spasmed about. Oddly enough, she didn't really feel any pain, merely a tenseness that she would have expected from sleeping in a bad position.

And that's when she opened her eyes. She was greeted by the morning sunshine peeking through her bedroom window's blinders. She rapidly shot glances in all directions, but discovered, to her relief, that she was safely back in her room.

It was all just a dream, a horrible, _horrible_ dream, but only a dream.

She swallowed.

Then why did she still remember Yuri's words so well? It all felt so real, and even now, in the "real" world, she still worried over if what Yuri had said could even be remotely correct.

She rolled over, grabbed her phone off the nightstand, and glanced at the screen. She was greeted by a wallpaper of herself and MC together. He held his arms around her, gazing into the camera with a silly, lighthearted grin. It looked so sincere. Why, then, did Monika have this doubt?

Valentine's Day was tomorrow. How could she harbor such uneasy feelings so close to such a romantic day? He had to love her; he just had to! Why else, then, would he have been so hesitant in the early days? If he just wanted to take pity on her, he could have started dating her so sooner.

But what if the pity came on gradually? Oh no!

Monika clutched her head in confusion and worry. The thoughts wouldn't leave! They just kept tormenting her more and more!

"I gotta ask him," she moaned to herself. "I gotta ask him tomorrow and just _see_ what he says."

_Don't forget, you never apologized to the girls._

Monika's eyes widened. The thought had not occurred to her since she awoke, but it was still important. Her friends had been on her mind a lot lately. They were so happy now that everything was back to normal, but they were only happy under false pretenses. One day, they would have to know. Otherwise, the guilt would eat Monika alive.

But how could she tell her friends that she killed them all before? What if they acted like they had in her nightmare? How could they ever forgive her for such a heinous act?

 _Why_ should they forgive her?

At last, she pushed herself out of bed. She tried to shove the annoying worries away, but deep in the back of her mind, they still lingered.


	44. Valentine's Day

As the snow fell heavily from the grey skies above, Monika, dressed in a white winter coat, jeans, and fur boots, carefully made her way out of her house and down the street. Could she have just as easily brought up the mod menu and teleported herself to MC's front door? Yes, she could. Did she want to? No. She missed walking over to his home in the morning; it gave her time alone with her thoughts. Now, with her bad dreams and nagging conscience, she needed that time more than ever.

Today was Valentine's Day, and to Monika's surprise, love actually _was_ in the air. There were plenty of couples walking down the streets, their hands intertwined with one another, their generic faces staring longingly at their respective partners. Monika was not quite certain as to how free-thinking these unnamed inhabitants of her world truly were, but the resounding happiness that permeated the world made her smile anyway. She hoped she could bring the same happiness to her dear MC; she hoped with all of her heart.

It was still early in the morning when Monika finally spotted MC's house. Almost instinctively, her pace quickened into a skip. She hummed to herself as she approached his front door, only stopping once she stepped onto his porch. She brought open the mod menu, selected the box of chocolates that she had carefully programmed into the game, and knocked.

MC must've been waiting for her, for the door swung open in almost no time at all. He absolutely beamed at her, and that made Monika feel all the more fuzzy inside.

"Good morning, Mo-" MC began, only to be cut off by Monika's surprise smooch. She had, back in the days when she was still desperately chasing him, dreamed of initiating a wondrous Valentine's Day in this manner. Now that it had finally come, Monika's elation was enough to override her nasty doubts, at least for the moment.

"Good morning, love," Monika greeted once their lips parted. She flashed him a playful wink and a cheeky grin, the latter of which MC soon matched. "May I come in?"

"Of course, of course!" MC chuckled, stepping away from the door. "I'm just glad you asked this time."

Monika's expression did not break, but the words still stung just a little bit. It reminded her of every little unwanted intrusion she had committed in her mad quest to win MC's love. Maybe one of the reasons he confessed was for her to just stop barging in like this?

Monika shook that thought from her head. NO! Not on Valentine's Day! He loved her! He kissed her every morning when the walked to school together, as well as every evening when they parted ways. Why would he do such a thing if he merely pretended to love her?

_Because that's exactly what you want._

Monika smacked herself in the head in some vain attempt to kill the thought once and for all. All it did was leave her with a second or two of disorientation.

MC raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Monika, are you alright?"

"Alright?" Monika repeated. Then, in a flash, her smile returned. "Of course I'm alright, silly! I'm just so happy to see you that I. . . I calmed myself, that's all!"

"Oh," MC reluctantly accepted. "Well, if you say so. So, what's the plan for today, honeysnacks?"

Monika stroked her chin in mock thought. "Well, I was figuring I could. . . Give you these chocolates!" Monika exclaimed eagerly, grinned from ear to ear as she revealing the pink, heart-shaped box that she had carefully concealed behind her back. "Sweeties for my sweetie! Made them myself, in fact!"

"Aw, Monika," MC cooed, taking the box from her and examining it closely. "That's wonderful! You must've spent hours baking them!"

Monika chuckled. "Heh heh, 'baking'. You know that's Natsuki's thing, right?"

"Oh, then. . ."

"I coded them," Monika said with a shrug, suddenly becoming very self-conscious about the fact that she hadn't spent the time hand-making the chocolates inside. Had she done the equivalent of buying chocolates from the store? What kind of loving girlfriend would do such a thing!?

"Eh, it's all the same to me," MC stated with a shrug. While MC still focused his attention on the box, Monika wondered just how sincere the comment was. His expression still seemed quite appreciative, but her worries did not subside. For as long as she could remember, she had perfected the lying, 'innocent' smile that she herself had used to feign innocence while dismantling the other girls' sanity in the background. She wondered if he could possibly use it against her, as well. Not that he was exactly killing anyone, of course. If anything, he just wanted to make her happy.

Of course, box or no box, store-bought or homemade, chocolate was chocolate. So, re-adopting her playful smirk, she nudged MC's arm gently. "Well, go on, try one."

"Certainly," MC agreed, gently opening the box and popping a random piece in his mouth. For a moment, he smiled, only for that smile to quickly fade into a disgusted frown. "Oh, oh, uhhhhhhh, these are great, Monika," he chuckled nervously. Swallowing, he did his best to resist gagging. It wasn't enough. "Very, very _great_."

Monika's eyes widened. "Oh no! What did I do wrong?"

"Now, now," MC stated, placing an arm around her in an attempt to calm her down. "They're not bad. They're actually very-"

"Very bad!" Monika finished, her voice in a panic. Snatching one from the box, she quickly popped it into her mouth. It tasted like cardboard mixed with mud. Unlike MC, she couldn't even find the will to swallow it. She sprinted over to the kitchen sink and heaved it back up, her retching echoing throughout the house. From a distant, MC eyed her, a sad glint in her eyes. In all actuality, he was far from upset with her. If anything, he was disappointed _for_ her. She had made these for him, and unfortunately, she didn't do a very good job.

Come to think of it, was the coding itself responsible for the taste? Or was it some weird miscalculation with the 'recipe'? He couldn't say. All the same, maybe Natsuki needed to teach the club as a whole how to cook something more complex than a scrambled egg. It would certainly save them from embarrassments like this.

In spite of the awkward start, he still genuinely anticipated spending the day with Monika. And they did. With school canceled on account of the heavy snowfall, they spent the whole day together, watching movies, cuddling on the couch, and sharing a humongous tub of popcorn. It was one of Monika's favorite dates, as she got to be physically close with MC. And yet, for some reason, she didn't seem so happy today. Sure, she smiled at him a lot, yet there were plenty of times where MC caught her just staring off into space, a dejected frown etched into her otherwise pleasant face.

Finally, just as their fourth movie came to a close, MC placed his arm around Monika. She glanced up at him, and a smile quickly returned to her face. That should have been enough to dismiss MC's worries, but he still remembered the time he placed too much trust in Sayori's fake smiles and reassuring words.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he inquired, legitimate concern in his voice.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing's wrong. I'm smiling, see?"

In an effort to prove her point, Monika gestured to the grin that was indeed plastered onto her face. That's all it appeared to be, though: plastered. Something about it was just too 'off' to seem natural.

"Are you sure?" MC prodded once more. "You know that you can tell me if you're bothered about something, right?"

"I know," Monika replied. "And nothing's wrong, I promise. I'm just thinking, that's all."

Her eyes silently pleaded that he would just drop the subject. She could tell him all about this tomorrow. She just wanted to have the perfect Valentine's Day; that was all.

But was it truly perfect? Sure, they had cuddled the day away, but Monika found that she had enjoyed little of it. Not because she didn't love MC, because she did, but due to the unavoidable guilt wracking her mind. Why couldn't she just be left alone!? Why was she feeling this way all of a sudden!?

"Actually, it's not fine," Monika declared, breaking away from MC's grip. "I. . . I'm worried about something. It's been on my mind lately, and I wanted to just wait until this day was over, but I can't seem to enjoy myself."

"Then let's talk about it," MC insisted, grabbing Monika by the arm. He stared deeply into her eyes, and the gaze was enough to pierce into Monika's soul. She tried to look away, but found that she was merely unable.

Monika breathed in deeply, then exaled. Her true emotions came forth, and she made no effort to hide them.

"I'm worried that you. . . You don't love me," Monika confessed.

MC's frown deepened. He leaned in closer. "Oh, Monika. Why do you think that? What gave you that idea?"

"I don't know," Monika whispered, tearing up a bit. "I just. . . I just fear that you're being nice to me. I m-mean,"-the tears began to flow down her cheeks-"I j-just d-don't understand how you could love me! All I've d-done to you is k-kill our f-friends and bother you for months! Why would you care for me!?"

MC placed a very delicate, very tender kiss on Monika's cheek. "Because you care for me, Monika. That matters more than anything. You made some mistakes. You were thrust into a situation that you didn't understand. And most of all, because I never think you really _did_ bother me. Maybe it took me some time to realize, but. . . I loved your visits. They always brightened my day, no matter how silly they were. I love you, Monika; please never doubt that."

Monika sniffed. "D-ditto. S-sorry for ruining our Valentine's Day by bottling all of this up. And for the bad chocolate, too," she giggled nervously. Her face was blushing fiercely once again, and her tears had fortunately dried up.

Who was she kidding? Of course he loved her! Why would he go through so much effort to make her feel so wonderful if he didn't? For the first time in quite a few hours, she flashed him a legitimately happy grin. It was just like the ones she had seen all around her on the walk over.

"Who says you ruined it?" MC inquired with a suggestive smile. "Just being here made my day. Besides, we still have the whole night together, right?"

Monika's eyes flickered with a sudden realization. He was right; they did have the whole night together, and Monika had hatched an idea on how to spend it.

"MC? C-can we go to your room?" she inquired anxiously.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why, exactly?"

Monika giggled, running her hand across his chest. "I still have one last present to give you, my love," she cooed. "Something better than the chocolates, I promise."

There was something in her tone that made MC's hair stand on its end. Not that he was scared, of course. Indeed, he was rather. . . Excited. Obeying, he rose from the couch. Monika took his hand in hers and led him up the stairs. When they arrived in his room, MC reached for the light, only for Monika's hand to stop him.

"Uh-uh-uh," she whispered. "Close your eyes. It's a surprise."

"Uh, Monika, what-"

"C'mon," she giggled once more. "Don't you want to be surprised?"

"I g-guess," MC hesitantly agreed, and he closed his eyes. He heard the sound of her coat unzipping, then of it falling to the floor. Something else fell, followed by more things. Then, there was the sound of boots sliding off. At last, he felt a pair of hands turn him around and push him onto his bed. Then, her body fell onto him. In an instant, she was kissing him deeply. MC embraced her, and everywhere he touched, he felt only bare skin.


	45. Something More Than Morning Cuddles

The morning sunlight streaked in through the open blinds, its golden rays managing to stir MC from his restful sleep. His eyes flittered open, resulting in the sight of Monika's sleeping face. It bore a calm, happy smile. Other than the sound of her quiet breathing, the room was deathly silent. His mind was still half-asleep, so he was left with the assumption that she had merely cuddled with him the night before. It wasn't until he reached under the sheets that he realized they had done more than cuddling. His eyes widened as he remembered the events of last night, but he ultimately grinned from ear to ear.

He held her close, allowing her to sleep in peace in the process, until she eventually stirred from her own rest. A yawn escaped her, followed by a grin. She seemed to take no time at all to realize where she was, why she was there, or whether or not that was a good thing.

"Morning, cutie," MC cooed as he ran his fingers through her brown locks. That brought a gentle hum out of her.

"Morning," she replied. Then, she ran her hands along his bare back. She was already reliving the naughty memories from the previous evening. "Looks like we-"

"Made the whoopie?" MC finished for her. "Yep. I think we did."

"And it was wonderful," Monika sighed dreamily. "Best Valentine's Day present ever, am I right?"

MC chuckled sweetly, pulling her closer to him. This time, the intimacy resulted in something far more innocent. Indeed, they merely cuddled one another, each embracing the other in their arms as the rocked slightly in the bed. Monika wanted the moment to last forever, but alas, MC let go of her.

"Well, I supposed we should get dressed," he stated suggestively, as if he really didn't really accept his own proposal. Nevertheless, he sat up, prepared to get himself out of bed, and was only stopped by Monika placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait," she requested softly. "C-can you stay a little longer?"

MC hesitated for a moment, only to dismiss her with a wave of his hand. "Monika, as much as I would love a second go-around, we should-"

"O-oh! Not about that, you goof! Get your mind out of the gutter!" she laughed. It wasn't that she _didn't_ want a second time, either, but there was something that still bored on her mind. "Can I talk to you about something?"

MC leaned back onto the bed and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Monika, I love you. I promise I wouldn't lie about that."

"Please listen to me," Monika commanded with what she viewed as necessary sternness. Soon, however, her voice became softer and sweeter once more. "I know that you love me. I guess I had some doubts in my head, but last night? Well, last night drove them away. There's something else that's been bothering me, though. It has been for the past few weeks."

MC's smile faded. "What's wrong?"

Monika sighed. "Well, it's about the others. You know, they still have no clue."

MC allowed himself a moment to reflect upon this. It wasn't the first time she had reminded him of this truth. Ever since they had started dating, it was something that she brought up occasionally. Before now, however, it was nothing that truly raised a discussion. Monika would just smile, wave it away, and assure him that she would tell them when the time was right. He never really thought about when the right time would arise; maybe she didn't, either.

"Are you planning on telling them soon?" MC inquired.

Monika did not reply for quite some time. Instead, the fixated her gaze on the specter of light that shined past them and onto the wall. It was as if she believed that would contain all the answers she needed, despite the fact that both knew otherwise.

"No," she confessed at last. "I guess I haven't."

She averted his gaze for a moment, a gesture that did not go unnoticed. MC had never really thought about it, himself. He had always associated this as Monika's problem, and he had assured himself that she would be more than capable of handling it on her own terms. It was something that he had no part in, after all, so he had no right to force such a private thing to come to light.

But then again, maybe he had been wrong to assume that she should handle it alone.

"Are you scared of them knowing?" he prodded gently.

The glint in her eyes confirmed his suspicions before she even nodded.

"I keep having these nightmares lately," Monika admitted. "Nightmares where they just somehow _know_. Then they kill me, or, if I'm lucky, they just kick me out of the club and exile me. A few nights ago. . . They tried to convince me that you didn't love me, that you only stuck around me because you pity the monster I am," in spite of that comment, she smiled at him. "I know that's not true now, but it really affected me when it happened."

MC pulled her into a tight hug. She clung onto him just as fiercely, as if he would disappear forever if she let go. She did not cry, nor she did continue to ramble about her situation. She just appreciated the action. With him by her side, things didn't quite seem so scary, anymore.

In spite of that, she still dreaded the very idea of telling the girls. The way she saw it, Sayori _might_ forgive, if she was lucky. Yuri? She would probably hide her disdain behind a small frown as she read a book. Natsuki? She'd be ashamed of Monika for the rest of her days. She'd never let Monika hear the end of it. Any nanometer-long scrap of respect that the trio harbored for Monika would be evaporated in only a few short revelations, and she didn't blame them a bit for that.

And yet MC thought something different. MC knew everything that she did in vivid, gory detail. Yet here he was, so intimately naked, close, and loving. That was a portion of what love was, wasn't it? To forgive a repentant partner for their trespasses?

"Monika, you're not a monster," MC informed matter-of-factly. It almost seemed like he was scolding her for the very idea. "You're a beautiful, wonderful, and talented woman. You're the nicest, most thoughtful club president anyone could've asked for, in this reality or any other. You're not just light of my life; you're the light of this entire world. Please, stop thinking of yourself so lowly. I'll never leave you, no matter what."

And Monika believed him wholeheartedly.

"I love you," Monika confessed, a single tear running down her cheek. MC wiped it away gently, bringing a smile to her face once more. Maybe she _was_ the light of this world, she didn't doubt it. However, if she was, then she had her own light in him.

"I love you, too," MC whispered.

"And I'm gonna try to get the truth to come out, one of these days," Monika promised. There was a refreshing resolve in her tone, like a candle lit once more."

"You don't have to do it alone," MC offered. "I'll be with you every step of the way, I promise."

"Thank you," Monika giggled. "Thank you much. You're the best boyfriend ever!"

Her cheerful exclamation warmed MC's heart. He felt as though he had done a great thing before even getting out of bed. Today had started off as one of the best of his life. He started to sit up again, but Monika latched onto him once more.

"Wait!" she interjected. "Uh, I know you kinda brushed the idea away before, but, uh, can we have a second go-around?"

MC paused. Snatching his phone off the nightstand, he examined the time. 6:30. It _could_ be enough. He smiled. It was worth the risk.

"Sure."

Monika was elated.


	46. Tea

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" MC asked as he and Monika stepped up to Yuri's front door. He raised his fist to knock, but waited on Monika's answer.

Monika nodded, a confident smile plastered on her face. "Yessir," she replied cheekily. "I think it's time to get this over with."

In spite of her outward appearance, Monika's nerves were racked with worry. Sure, of the three, Yuri was the least likely to lash out. However, it would break Monika's spirit to crush the poor girl's feelings in such a manner.

No sense in backing out, though.

MC must've agreed with that sentiment, for he knocked twice on Yuri's door. Within a minute, it opened, revealing Yuri in her trademark sweater and black sweatpants. "Ah, good afternoon!" she greeted with unabashed eagerness, a characteristic that only bubbled to the surface when Yuri was truly excited.

"Afternoon, Yuri," Monika returned with a mild, polite nod. "How are you?"

"Absolutely magnificent," Yuri replied, a twinkle in her eyes. "I never thought that I would have anyone join me for books and tea, but I welcome this surprise with open arms."

Stepping away from the door, Yuri gestured inside. The walls behind her were cream-colored and inviting. Monika found herself stepping in automatically. The foyer opened up into the living room, with Yuri's kitchen not far nearby. Her furniture, like the rest of her house, was calming, neutral-colored, and strangely peaceful. No wonder Yuri was somewhat timid out in public; her house was a heavenly sanctuary by comparison!

"Come in, come in," Yuri insisted to MC as he followed. It wasn't long before he was just as captivated by the sights as Monika was.

"Wow, Yuri, your house is beautiful," MC declared. "I'm a little bit jealous, to be honest."

"Oh, s-sorry," Yuri apologized. "I'm s-sure your house is nicer, MC."

"Don't be sorry," MC chuckled. "Your house is wonderful, and you should be proud of it."

"Oh, thank you," Yuri offered, her smile returning. Then, it suddenly occurred to her why exactly she had guests in the first place. "So, would you two like to read down here or in my room?"

MC shrugged. "Either is fine by me," he assured with a shrug. He then nodded toward Monika. "What about you, honeysnacks?"

Monika blushed. "MC, you're embarrassing me."

In spite of her words, she grinned, her eyes beaming with joy.

Yuri elicted a genuine giggle. "Honeysnacks," she repeated slowly, allowing the name to roll off of her tongue. "What a quaint name. Well, unless you have any objections, and feel free to cite them, if you do, how about we settle ourselves in my room?"

Monika nodded. "Sounds good! Lead the way."

Yuri led the couple of the stairs, down a short hallway, and into the last room on the left. There sat Yuri's room, the walls sharing the same imperial violet as her hair. Yuri moved purposefully past her bed and towards a large, dark-oak bookshelf adorned with countless paperbacks. Many of them were visibly worn, undoubtedly from constant reading and re-reading by their bookish owner. Yuri snatched one without even having to pause to search for it. Meanwhile, Monika brought up the mod menu, tapped away, and soon spawned two identical copies into existence.

"Alright, shall we begin?" Yuri inquired as she took a seat on her bed.

 _Now or never_ , Monika thought. Better to get it out of the way before they conducted business. If Yuri didn't immediately brandish some sort of excuse, that would be a step in the right direction.

"Um, actually, Yuri," Monika stammered, avoiding eye contact out of shame. "There's, uh, there's something I'd like to talk about before we begin. Is. . . is that OK?"

Yuri frowned, and though Monika did not mean to express discomfort, Yuri's worried gaze signaled that it must have been on her face clear as day. Monika stared into her eyes, those radiant, soft, and kind eyes, and found herself at a lost for words.

"Is everything alright?" Yuri inquired innocently. "I-I didn't do anything to upset you, did I? S-sorry if I did."

Monika swallowed. She had every reason to feel ashamed of herself, and yet Yuri sat there, wondering if _she_ was the one in the wrong. The very idea made Monika's stomach churn with guilt. How could she let this girl, this sweet, considerate, intelligent, innocent girl, know the horrible truth? She couldn't; it would tear Yuri apart.

"I-it's nothing!" Monika exclaimed suddenly. There was much more force in her voice than she intended there to be, and that only frightened Yuri further.

"I'm sorry!" Yuri declared once more, her nerves just as frayed as Monika's. "I don't know what I did, b-but it wasn't my intention to do it, honest!"

Monika shook her head. She breathed in deeply. "N-no, Yuri. You didn't do anything wrong. I just have a lot on my mind right now, OK?"

It was a half-truth. Therefore, it was the most convenient kind of truth.

"Oh," Yuri acknowledged with a nod. "I-in that case, maybe I should brew us some more tea. It appears that we _both_ in need of a de-stresser, no?"

Monika nodded. "It would probably be for the best."

As Yuri rose from her bed and exited the room, MC shot Monika a worried glance. Placing a hand of her shoulder, MC gently patted Monika on the back.

"Still having trouble, huh?"

Monika nodded. "You could say that. It's just. . . Every time I look into their eyes, I catch that glimpse of innocence, you know? How can I spoil something like that, MC? It just wouldn't be right."

In spite of her frustrated tone, her face expressed no anger, only disappointment. MC had no clue whether that disappointment was directed at her past actions or her present reluctance. It was probably both.

"It's OK," MC assured. "Listen, I know you're scared to let the truth come out. It's like they say, though: 'the truth will set you free'."

Monika glanced into his eyes. There was a blissful moment where she allowed herself a small smile, but it fell before MC could truly relish in it. "Do they _have_ to know?"

MC shrugged. "I dunno. Do they?"

Monika had no clue whether that was rhetorical or sincere. It didn't really matter; this was all her idea, her problem. He didn't really need to help her through this at all. That was one of the greatest things about MC, though: he was always by her side, even when she faced the darkest parts of her own psyche. He never left her. That was one of the reasons why she fell for him in the first place, and it became the reason why she never left him alone in the mornings.

She missed those days where she came over to guess what could win his love. Sure, she had succeeded in her little guessing games at last, and that was something she wouldn't have traded for the world. However, there was some nostalgia buried deep inside of her, that drive she had every morning when waking up, thinking today would be the day. Come to think of it, her schemes were always a little into left field, but it was the thought that counted.

Maybe she should start doing it again. Not to win what she had already acquired, of course; just to bring a little more joy into their lives.

But that was something to ruminate about for another time. Right now, she had another problem that was more important to solve.

"You know they'll have to," MC finally continued upon realizing that his girlfriend would continue to be silent. "What if it just slips out one day? We both know it will be a lot better for them to know upfront than for it to be a surprise."

He was right, of course. Despite this, however, Monika sighed and shook her head. "I don't know if they could ever forgive me."

MC hugged her. It was neither passionate nor affectionate. Nevertheless, it caused Monika's smiled to return at last.

"Hey, I did."

Monika giggled. "I know. Then again, I guess I never killed you."

"What's in the past is in the past," MC stated. "I'm sure they'll-"

The sound of the knob turning made MC stop mid-sentence. Gently, gingerly, and carefully, the door opened. In came Yuri, still smiling, still blissfully ignorant, carrying a tray with three piping-hot cups of tea on it. She set them down in front of her two guests, then joined them on the floor. She didn't seem to notice whatever was on their mind, instead choosing to pick up her book once more.

"There we are," she declared with some small hint of genuine relaxation in her voice. "There's nothing like good tea and reading to calm my nerves."

It was funny how she could say that before even taking a sip of her own cup. Maybe the aroma itself was enough to sedate her anxiety.

"So, are we ready to begin reading?"

Yuri directed the question at neither party in particular. MC shot a glance at Monika and nodded, hoping that she would take the hint and run with it. While the brief biting of her lip signaled her understanding, she ultimately picked up her book, flipped it to the first chapter, and nodded. "Yep. Ready whenever you are."

"Wonderful," Yuri giggled, taking a sip of her tea.

MC, surrendering the issue at last, snatched his own copy and joined them. Just before he began to read, however, he locked eyes with Monika one more time. It was only for half a second, though, as Monika's shame caused her to focus her attention on the story.

She just wasn't ready yet, and that was OK. They would overcome this conundrum together.


End file.
